penzolo

Forms

penzolo m (plural penzoli)^[1] The GDLI also has the variant pensolo.^[2]

Etymology

It is usually explained as inherited from Vulgar Latin *pendiolus (“hanging”), in place of classical Latin pendulus (“hanging”), the source of pendolo and pendulo, from Latin pendeo (“to hang”).^{[3][4][5][6][1]} Devoto–Oli and Devoto give the same *pendjolus, Devoto with a cross with the Italian word.^[7][8] The origin is not clear, though the link with pendere and with the pendulum word is evident.^[9] GRADIT calls it uncertain, and Treccani only “perhaps” *pendiolus.^[9][10][11]

The DEI held *pendiolus to be morphologically impossible and proposed a cross with Latin pensilis (“hanging”).^[2] Caix had derived it from pensilis alone, in the plural for fruit hung up to keep;^[4][12] Meyer-Lübke rejected this because the ⟨z⟩ is voiced.^[4][12] Salvioni saw the adjective instead as a back-formation from the verb penzolare, which could come from the first person pendeo with the verbal suffix ⟨-ulare⟩.^[9] Prati, too, derived the verb from the present stem of the Latin verb.^[13]

The same Latin word gave penzana (“garland of tendrils”), with another suffix, and Catalan penjoll (“fruit hung on a string”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective, “hanging”, is first recorded in Matteo Villani, before 1363: mills penzole, hung over a canal.^[9][10][14] The verb penzolare is older, from before 1304.^[9]

Semantic evolution

The noun named what hangs, above all two or more bunches of grapes hanging from the same shoot, or hung up to dry and keep: a vernacular Jerome has the spies carry uno gran penzolo d'uva, and Lippi's Malmantile il penzol delle sorbe, the string of sorb apples.^[14][13] In the Valdarno it was a piece of vine with two or three bunches attached.^[14] At sea, penzolo became a length of hemp or steel rope with an eye at one or both ends, used to join things.^[10][7][15]

The adjective, already marked obsolete by Tommaseo, was revived in literature: D'Annunzio writes la scala penzola, the dangling ladder.^[14][5][11] The adverb penzoloni, “dangling”, is recorded from 1550 in Firenzuola.^[9]

Timeline

• Before 1304 – The verb penzolare is recorded in a vernacular Plutarch.^[9]
• Before 1363 – Matteo Villani uses penzolo as an adjective.^[9][10]
• 1550 – Firenzuola uses penzoloni.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. Something that hangs down, especially two or more bunches of grapes hanging from the same shoot, or fruit and vegetables hung up in a bunch: un penzolo di pomodori.^{[10][7][15][11]}
2. (nautical) A pendant: a length of hemp or steel rope with an eye at one or both ends, used for various connections.^{[10][7][5][6]}

Adjective

1. (archaic, literary) hanging, dangling; penzolante.^{[10][7][5][11]}

Word family

• penzolare
• penzoloni
• spenzolare
• spenzoloni

Related words

• pendere
• pendolo
• pendulo
• Latin pendulus

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 12, 1070
3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
5. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
7. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
11. ^ 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)
12. ^ a b Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
13. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti
14. ^ a b c d Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
15. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse