perchia

Forms

perchia f (plural perchie)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin *percula, a diminutive of perca (“perch”).^[2][1][3][4] Treccani gives the Latin form as probable.^[5] Battisti and Alessio and the GDLI place the word in southern Italy.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Battisti and Alessio date the first record to 1563, in M. Florio, with the sense “perch”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

A 16th-century text quoted by the GDLI mentions that the small perchie with large heads have two little white stones in them.^[4] The GDLI marks the sense “perch” as old.^[4] Today it is a regional name of the perch and of some sea basses, especially the comber (Serranus cabrilla).^[2][5][1]

Timeline

• 1563 – the first record, in M. Florio.^[3][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (regional) The perch, the freshwater fish also called pesce persico.^[2][4]
2. (regional) The comber and some other serranids, also called sciarrano.^[2][5][1]

Related words

• perca

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
3. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2846
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)