pescato

Forms

pescato m (plural pescati)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian pescare (“to fish”): its past participle used as a noun.^[2][3][4][5] The verb is inherited from Latin piscor (“to fish”), from Latin piscis (“fish”).^[6] The GDLI compares the Latin noun piscātus (“fishing; catch”), and Wiktionary derives the noun through Vulgar Latin *piscātu.^[7][1][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti date the noun to 1954, in the sense of the quantity of fish caught in a given time.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

The GDLI keeps the adjective, “caught” (of a fish), apart from the noun, the catch of a fishing trip or a season.^[7] It quotes Quarantotti Gambini on boat owners in Istria or Dalmatia who lost their catch as well.^[7]

Timeline

• 1954 – The noun is first recorded.^[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. The catch: the quantity of fish caught in a given period, or the produce of fishing as a whole.^{[9][2][3][5][10]}

Related words

• pescare
• pesca
• pescatore

Usage notes

The noun is used only in the singular.^[4] As a participle, pescato means “caught” of a fish, and figuratively “found, picked out”, as of a card drawn from the pack.^[11][7]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
5. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 13, 159
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
10. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli