poiana

Forms

poiana f (plural poiane)^[1] Regional and older forms are poana, puiana, pugliana and foiana.^[2][3][1] Lombard has pojana, and Venetian pogiana and pógia.^[2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *pulliāna for DELI, Nocentini and Zingarelli, and probably so for GRADIT: a feminine diminutive of Latin pullus (“young animal; chicken”), the source of pollo.^[4][5][6][7] Nocentini explains the name by the bird's habit of taking chickens, and notes that /j/ from Latin /llj/ is a northern, especially Lombard, outcome.^[5]

Others are more cautious: Wiktionary calls the origin uncertain and the derivation from the Vulgar Latin form possible, reached through a non-Tuscan variety, and Treccani gives no etymology at all.^[1][3] The GDLI calls it a northern word of uncertain origin, perhaps with a double suffix.^[8]

The Latin noun has two competing explanations: from Proto-Indo-European *polH-on- (“offspring”), cognate with Ancient Greek πῶλος (pôlos, “foal”), or from Proto-Indo-European *put-, related to Latin putus (“boy”).^[1][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in J. P. Belbasso, before 1476, naming the diurnal bird of prey with long, blunt wings.^[4][6]

Semantic evolution

The word spread from the north: DEI cites it in Aldrovandi in the 16th century, poana in Redi in the 17th, and puiana and pugliana in Duez's dictionary of 1671.^[2] Zoology gave it compounds for the species, such as poiana calzata (the rough-legged buzzard, recorded in 1886) and poiana codabianca.^[2][3][6]

Timeline

• Before 1476 – J. P. Belbasso records poiana.^[4][6]
• 16th century – Aldrovandi uses the word.^[2]
• 17th century – Redi writes poana.^[2]
• 1671 – Duez gives puiana and pugliana.^[2]
• 1886 – Poiana calzata “rough-legged buzzard” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (zoology) A buzzard: any of several thickset birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, especially of the genus Buteo, brown or reddish with long, broad wings.^[6][3][10]
2. (zoology) The common buzzard (Buteo buteo), with a large head, big eyes and a hooked beak.^[6][11][7]

Related words

• pollo
• pulcino
• Latin pullus

Usage notes

A separate, technical poiana (1958) is a genus of African civet-like carnivores with a ringed tail, from the scientific Latin Poiana, formed on the name of the island of Fernando Poo, today Bioko.^[6][8] The GDLI also records an old Venetian poiana, a flannel that mirror-makers laid under mirrors, of uncertain origin.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2988
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. ^ a b c Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 13, 723
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
11. ^ Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
12. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 13, 726