schifo

schifo¹ disgust

Pronunciation

• /ˈski.fo/^[4]

Forms

schifo m (plural schifi)^[4]

Etymology

The word for disgust is borrowed from Old French eschif (“shy, averse”), which goes back to Frankish *skiuhjan (“to fear, shun”).^[1][2][3][5] Nocentini makes the Old French adjective a derivative of eschiver (“to avoid”), and compares Old High German skiuhen and German scheuen (“to shy away from”).^[2][6] Wiktionary starts instead from Old French eschiu (“shy, timid”) and Frankish *skeuh (“shy”), Proto-Germanic *skeuhaz (“shy, frightened”), the source also of English shy.^[4] The TLIO, on the other hand, derives the noun within Italian from schifare.^[7]

The adjective schivo “shy, aloof” came from the parallel Old French form, and the verb schivare from Old Occitan esquivar.^[6] The Lombard and Piedmontese dialects have Lombard skivi and Sicilian schifiu is the Sicilian form.^[6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is a Bergamasque paraphrase of the Ten Commandments from the middle of the 13th century; the early senses are contempt or disgust for someone or something thought unworthy, and as an adjective, averse, unwilling, aloof.^[7] DELI dates the sense “revulsion, nausea” to Dante, 1304–1313.^[1] Bonvesin da la Riva, who wrote in Milanese before 1315, has the form sgivio: a fly in the food should be kept quiet so that the diners do not take sgivio.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the word mostly in set phrases: avere a schifo or tenere a schifo “to despise, scorn”, and venire a schifo “to become hateful”.^[7][9] The adjective meant “aloof, reserved”: Petrarch writes of Laura “coi suoi santi atti schifi” (with her holy, reserved ways), and Boccaccio of a woman who “si mostrava schifa” (showed herself unwilling).^[10][11][12] Tuscan later used the adjective for “disgusting”.^[10][13]

The physical sense, nausea caused by something filthy or rotten, took over in the following centuries.^[8] Schifoso is first recorded in Paolo Segneri in 1679, and in 1959 the dictionaries recorded its colloquial senses “very poor” and “enormous”.^[1] In colloquial Italian fare schifo now also means “to be awful” or “to perform badly”.^[3][5][9] Wiktionary links American slang skeevy “disgusting” to this word,^[4] while Etymonline calls the English word of uncertain origin.^[14]

Timeline

• First half of the 13th century – Schifare “to avoid” in Guidotto da Bologna.^[1]
• Mid-13th century – Schifo in a Bergamasque paraphrase of the Decalogue.^[7]
• 1266 – Zingarelli's date for the word.^[10]
• 1304–1313 – Dante uses schifo “revulsion”.^[1]
• Before 1342 – Schifezza in Domenico Cavalca.^[1]
• Before 1606 – Schifiltoso in Bernardo Davanzati.^[1]
• 1679 – Schifoso in Paolo Segneri.^[1]
• 1959 – Schifare “to disgust” and colloquial schifoso “very poor” are recorded.^[1]

Meanings

Noun

1. disgust, revulsion, physical or moral: Solo l'odore del pesce crudo gli dà schifo.^{[3][5][11][10]}
2. Something disgusting; food or drink that tastes foul: Questo caffè è uno schifo.^[3][5][11]
3. (colloquial) Something ugly or badly made; rubbish: Il concerto di ieri sera è stato uno schifo.^{[3][5][10][4]}
4. A shameful act; a despicable person: uno schifo d'uomo.^[3][5][9]

Adjective

1. (Tuscany) Disgusting, repulsive.^{[3][10][11][13]}
2. (archaic) Shy, aloof, unwilling.^{[3][10][11][9]}

Word family

• schifare
• schifezza
• schifoso
• schifiltoso
• schifosaggine
• schifato

schifo² ship's boat

Pronunciation

• /ˈski.fo/^[4]

Forms

schifo m (plural schifi)^[4]

Etymology

The boat is borrowed from Lombardic *skif (“boat”), the word of the Lombards.^[1][2][3][5] It is the same Germanic word as Old High German skif, German Schiff and Old English scip, the source of English ship.^[2][3][4] Zaccaria and Wiktionary take it from Old High German skif instead, and Zaccaria explains the forms with /p/ such as Old French eskip from the Low German form of the word.^[15][4] DELI quotes Mastrelli, who counts it among a small group of Lombardic words for life on rivers and lagoons.^[1]

Meyer-Lübke grouped the Italian word with Late Latin scyphus (“cup”), from Ancient Greek σκύφος (skúphos, “cup”), whose southern dialect outcomes mean “trough”,^[6] and Prati also derived it from the Greek cup.^[16] French esquif and Spanish esquife were taken from Italian.^[2][17]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Chiose Selmiane, a Sienese commentary of 1321–1337.^[7] DELI's first date is before 1449, in Bartolomeo del Corazza, for the boat a large ship carried for the use of its crew; he tells how the pope “entrò in Tevere su uno schifo” (went into the Tiber in a ship's boat).^[1][18]

Semantic evolution

Writers on galleys describe the schifo as the boat every galley carried on board, with its own chain, oars and anchor.^[12] In architecture a volta a schifo is a vault whose corners recall the keel of an upturned boat.^[5][11] In 1937 the naval dictionary recorded the sense “long, narrow racing boat for a single rower”, and in rowing the word now stands for English skiff.^[1][5]

French esquif is recorded in 1497.^[19] English skiff, “small boat” (c. 1500), came from French and goes back to the Italian word; the OED dates the spelling skiphs to 1575 and the racing sense to 1793.^[14][19]

Timeline

• 1321–1337 – First record, in the Sienese Chiose Selmiane.^[7]
• Before 1449 – Bartolomeo del Corazza uses schifo for a ship's boat.^[1]
• 1497 – French esquif is first recorded.^[19]
• 1575 – English skiphs (plural) is recorded.^[19]
• 1793 – English skiff for a racing boat for one rower.^[19]
• 1937 – Schifo “racing single” in the naval dictionary.^[1]

Meanings

Noun

1. (nautical, historical) A rowing boat carried by a merchant ship for the crew's use; a ship's boat.^[3][5][9]
2. By extension, a small boat.^[3][9][13]
3. (nautical) A long, narrow boat with sails or oars, used for inshore fishing.^[3][5]
4. (rowing) A light racing boat for a single rower, a skiff.^[5][11][13]
5. (architecture) In volta a schifo, a vault shaped like an upturned hull.^[3][5][11]

Word family

• schifetto