pupazzo

Forms

pupazzo m (plural pupazzi)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian pupo + -azzo.^[2][3][1] Nocentini and DELI derive it from pupo, and DELI, the DEI and Sabatini–Coletti note that it came into Italian from the Roman dialect, as did the whole family of pupa.^[4][5][6][3] Tommaseo–Bellini also labels it a Roman word.^[7]

Both are from Latin pūpus (“little boy”) and pūpa (“girl; doll”), words of childish, expressive origin.^[5][4][8] Wiktionary traces them to a reduplication of Proto-Indo-European *peh₂w- (“few, little”).^[1] Nocentini adds that French poupée corresponds to the old and dialect Italian ⟨poppada⟩, which comes from a variant Vulgar Latin *puppa.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the plural pupacci in Tassoni, before 1635, who jokes that Petrarch would have wanted Laura only per giucare a pupacci con esso lei, “to play with dolls with her”.^[5][9][2]

Semantic evolution

Around 1700 the word still had a Roman ring: Magalotti writes bambola, o sia pupazza alla romana “a doll, or as the Romans say, a pupazza” (1695), and Fagiuoli explains that comedies son di pupazzi; e questo qui vuol dire fantocci, “are of pupazzi, and here that means puppets”.^[5] A report on fashions of 1703 advises ordering the poppazzi, the fashion dolls, from France.^[5] The form pupazzo itself is in Forteguerri (1716–1735).^[5][6]

Later uses extend it to a caricature or a lifeless figure, and to a weak person moved by others.^[9][2] The word passed into French as pupazzo “Italian puppet” in 1852, and German had Pupazzi in 1879.^[10] The DEI adds that Spanish took it from French.^[6]

Timeline

• Before 1635 – Tassoni uses the plural pupacci.^[5]
• 1695 – Magalotti records the Roman pupazza “doll”.^[5]
• 1700–1705 – Fagiuoli uses pupazzi for puppets.^[5][10]
• 1703 – Poppazzi are fashion dolls ordered from France.^[5]
• 1716–1735 – Forteguerri uses pupazzo.^[5]
• 1852 – French pupazzo is recorded.^[10]
• 1879 – German Pupazzi is recorded.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A figure drawn, carved or made of any material that roughly represents a person; a doll, soft toy or puppet: pupazzo di neve “snowman”.^{[2][11][12][1]}
2. (theatre) A puppet, marionette.^[10][5]
3. (figurative) A weak, spineless person who lets others control him: In quel consiglio era solo un pupazzo del presidente.^[2][11][3]

Word family

• pupazzetto
• pupazzata
• pupazzesco
• spupazzare

Related words

• pupa
• fantoccio
• Latin pūpus

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
3. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3153
7. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 14, 1011
10. ^ a b c d e Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
11. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
12. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana