orbacca

Forms

orbacca f (plural orbacche)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin laurī bāca (“laurel berry”), the phrase of laurus (“laurel”) in the genitive and bacca (“berry”).^{[2][1][3][4][5]} The initial /l/ was taken for the elided article, and the word lost it.^[2][1][6][7] The word belongs to central and northern Italy.^[7][8] DEI holds that the Latin phrase, with the genitive placed first, points to a learned origin among botanists and apothecaries, from whom it passed into popular speech.^[7]

The same phrase lives on in the Iberian Peninsula, in Mozarabic orbaca, western Asturian llorbaga and Old Galician-Portuguese lorbaga (about 1300).^[9] In the north of Italy it gave Old Veronese orbaga (13th century), Old Bergamasque rubaga (1429).^[9][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The LEI's first Italian record is from 1320, in the vernacular translation of Pietro de' Crescenzi's treatise on agriculture, for the fruit of the laurel.^[9] The translation says that the laurel produce l’orbacche, frutto piccolo e nero “bears berries, a small black fruit”.^[10]

Semantic evolution

From the laurel the name spread to any small berry: the Crescenzi translation already speaks of the orbacche of wild myrtle, and the word came to be used for the fruit of the cypress and the myrtle.^[9][10][2] About 1340 the translation of Palladius uses it for goat droppings.^[9] Boccaccio has a shepherd child fed only on the berries that fall from the laurel.^[8]

The diminutive orbacchella is recorded in Florio's dictionary of 1598.^[9] Tuscan has orbaca d’ellera, the fruit of the ivy, and orbaco, the laurel tree itself.^[9][1] Today the word is regional and old-fashioned.^[2][3][1]

Timeline

• 13th century – Old Veronese orbaga is recorded.^[9]
• 1320 – Orbacca “laurel berry” appears in the Italian translation of Pietro de' Crescenzi.^[9]
• About 1340 – The translation of Palladius uses the word for goat droppings.^[9]
• Before 1375 – Boccaccio uses the plural orbache.^[9][2]
• 1429 – Old Bergamasque rubaga is recorded.^[9]
• 1598 – Florio records the diminutive orbacchella.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional, archaic) The berry of the laurel.^[2][3][1]
2. (by extension) The berry of the myrtle or the cypress.^[2][3][1]

Word family

• orbaco

Related words

• alloro
• lauro
• bacca
• Latin laurus
• Latin baca

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
3. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
4. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2666
8. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 4, 104
10. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET