padule

Forms

padule m (plural paduli)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *padūlem, with metathesis of /l/ and /d/, from the accusative of Latin palūs (“marsh”).^[2][3][1] DEI suggests the influence of Latin Padus (“the Po”) on the metathesis.^[4] The metathesis is old: Medieval Latin padules is found in Italian documents from 754 to the 11th century, in the north and the south, and DELI cites the plural from Ravenna in 970.^[4][3][5] The form palude kept the Latin order.^[3][6]

The same metathesis is found in Sardinian paule, Old Spanish paul, Portuguese paul and Romanian pădure, and in Albanian pyll, the last two meaning “forest”.^[4][2][7] The word became Neapolitan parula “vegetable garden”.^[4][1] De Vaan finds no secure etymology for the Latin noun: a link with Baltic words such as Lithuanian pélkė (“marsh”) is possible.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record in Italian is the 13th-century Cronichetta lucchese, where many foot soldiers and knights were taken, killed and drowned in padule (“in the marsh”).^[3][5] Zingarelli dates the word to 1282.^[9]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word was also feminine, padula.^[5][9][10] It was used of marshy ground and of the water of marshes, which Giamboni warns soldiers not to drink.^[5] Boccaccio describes a place where flies and horseflies came from a nearby padule.^[11][10]

Tommaseo notes that padule was the living Tuscan word, while palude kept the literary form, as in Dante's Stygian marsh.^[6] Zingarelli records an obsolete sense, a dung pit.^[9] Figuratively it names a corrupt environment: Carducci speaks of the stench of the political and literary padule of united Italy.^[11][9][10] The TLIO also records the gatto padule, a fabulous cat or ape, from Old French Chapalu, with padule laid over the foreign name.^[12]

Timeline

• 754 – Medieval Latin padules appears in Italian documents.^[4]
• 970 – De padulibus is recorded at Ravenna.^[3]
• 1200s – The Cronichetta lucchese uses padule.^[3][5]
• 1282 – The date Zingarelli gives for the Italian word.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Tuscany) A marsh, bog or swamp: a palude or acquitrino.^{[11][9][10][13][1]}
2. (figurative, literary) A corrupt environment.^[11][9][10]
3. (obsolete) A dung pit.^[9]

Word family

• paduletto
• padulano
• padulesco
• paduloso
• impadulare

Related words

• palude
• Latin palus

Usage notes

Padule is masculine today, but was also feminine in older Italian.^[9][10][1] Treccani describes it as the Tuscan variant of palude.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2719
5. ^ a b c d e Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
6. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
7. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ a b c d e f g Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
12. ^ Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
13. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli