scarafaggio

Forms

scarafaggio m (plural scarafaggi)^[1] Old forms include scarafagio, scaravacio, scaravaggio and scarfaggio.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *scarafaius, a dialect form corresponding to Latin scarabaeus (“beetle”).^[4][5][6][7] The ⟨f⟩ for Latin ⟨b⟩ is taken as Oscan-Umbrian, a rustic trait of central and southern Italy, and Devoto adds the ⟨ai⟩ beside the classical ⟨aeu⟩.^[4][5][8][9] Wiktionary cites Medieval Latin scarafagius from 10th-century glosses.^[1]

The same Vulgar Latin form lies behind Occitan escaravai, Spanish escarabajo and Portuguese escaravelho, and the dialect forms Venetian scaravazo, Sicilian scravagghiu and southern Neapolitan scarrafone.^{[5][10][1][7][3]} Old French escharbot (modern French escarbot) belongs to the same family.^[5][10]

The origin of Latin scarabaeus is unknown; the OLD compares Ancient Greek κάραβος (kárabos, “beetle; crayfish”), and Wiktionary suggests a foreign word, perhaps with a movable ⟨s⟩.^[11][1] The learned scarabeo continues the classical form.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is a Tuscan bestiary of about 1300, for the flat, shiny dark brown insect that infests houses.^[4][12]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word named several beetles, above all the dung beetle: Bencivenni speaks of scarafaggi that flee flowers and love dung, and San Bernardino describes one rolling its ball backwards to its hole.^[9][13][3] Tommaseo still gave it as the name of the cockchafer.^[13]

The sense “cockroach” is recorded in the 16th century, in Vasari, and is the main one today, for the oriental cockroach and other species of houses and stores.^[7][3][6] Salvini used the word for a fish in the 17th century.^[7] Figuratively it is a contemptuous name for a short, dark-haired person or one who always wears black, and for a despicable person.^[6][14][15]

Timeline

• c. 1300 – A Tuscan bestiary uses scarafaggio.^[4]
• 16th century – Vasari uses it for the cockroach.^[7][3]
• 17th century – Salvini uses it for a fish.^[7]
• 1687 – The feminine scarafaggessa is recorded in Bonomo.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (entomology) cockroach: a flat, shiny, dark brown nocturnal insect with long legs and antennae that infests houses, especially the oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis); also a name for other beetles.^{[6][16][12][17]}
2. (figurative, derogatory) A short, dark-haired person, or one who always dresses in black.^[6][14]
3. (figurative, derogatory) A mean, despicable person: Quel truffatore è uno scarafaggio.^[6][16][15]

Word family

• scarafaggetto
• scarafaggino
• scarafaggione

Related words

• scarabeo
• scarabocchio
• blatta
• Latin scarabaeus
• Spanish escarabajo

Usage notes

Scarafaggio and blatta are synonyms.^[15][18] Diminutives are scarafaggetto and scarafaggino, and the augmentative scarafaggione.^[12][14]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 17, 839
3. ^ a b c d e Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 882
4. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c d e f g Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3373
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 390
9. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
10. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
12. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
13. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
16. ^ 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
17. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
18. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli