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schizzo

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word schizzo

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1353 Boccaccio, Decameron More words from the 14th century
Ultimate origin
Italian schizzare
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Italian schizzare
Italian schizzo
French esquisse
Romanian schiță
Spanish esquicio

Pronunciation

  • /ˈskit.t͡so/[1]

Forms

schizzo m (plural schizzi)[1]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from Italian schizzare (“to squirt, to splash”), formed with no suffix.[2][3][4][1] DEI, the GDLI and Devoto's Avviamento also take it from the verb, in both its literal and its figurative senses.[5][6][7]

The origin of the verb is disputed.[2][3][1] DELI, following Prati, calls it onomatopoeic.[2] Meyer-Lübke likewise filed it under a sound word for squirting, with outcomes in the northern dialects, Sardinian and Catalan,[8] and Wiktionary compares Catalan esquitxar (“to squirt”).[1] Nocentini instead derives it from Vulgar Latin *coactiāre (“to press together”), the source of schiacciare: the verb would show a dissimilated first vowel and the outcome /tts/ of the cluster -cti-, as in Sardinian ischizzare (“to squash”).[3] Wiktionary adds the influence of Middle High German schiezzen, from Old High German sciozzan (“to shoot”).[1]

For the sense “sketch” Meyer-Lübke and Körting thought of Latin schedium (“an improvised poem”), with the vowel taken from a confusion with schidia (“splinter”).[8][9] Etymonline reports this derivation and Barnhart's view that the “sketch” sense is a special use of the word for a splash, which is what DELI, Nocentini and the DEI hold.[10][2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Boccaccio is the first to use the word, in the Decameron (1353), for a splash of liquid and the stain it leaves: riders find themselves “spattered by the splashes that the nags make with their feet”.[2][11][6][12]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the word passed from the splash to the quick stroke of the pen: Francesco Berni (before 1535) uses it for the first rapid drawing in which an artist fixes a subject, and Vasari has the diminutive schizzetto for a drawing without shading.[2][5] Chiabrera (before 1638) extends it to the first idea of a literary work, and later it came to mean any rapid, summary description.[2][13][4]

The verb developed in parallel: schizzare “to sketch” is in Vasari (before 1574).[2] Modern Italian adds a small dash of spirit in a drink (caffè con lo schizzo) and, in drug users' slang, an injected dose.[14][4] In Tuscan colloquial speech a schizzo is a quick, lively person.[14][15]

The artistic sense spread across Europe: French esquisse (1567, as esquiche), German Skizze (1630, as Scizzo) and the obsolete English schizzo (1686) come from Italian.[13] English sketch (1660s) came through Dutch schets or Low German, both artists' borrowings of the Italian word.[10]

Timeline

  • 1353 – Boccaccio's Decameron has schizzi, splashes of mud.[2][11]
  • Before 1535 – Francesco Berni uses schizzo for an artist's first rapid drawing.[2][13]
  • 1567 – French esquiche, later esquisse, is first recorded.[13]
  • Before 1574 – Vasari uses schizzare for “to sketch”.[2]
  • 1630 – German Scizzo, later Skizze, is recorded.[13]
  • Before 1638 – Chiabrera uses the word for the first draft of a literary work.[2]
  • 1660s – English sketch is recorded, through Dutch or Low German.[10]
  • 1686 – English schizzos is recorded.[13]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A squirt or splash: the act of spurting, or the liquid that spurts out: Uno schizzo d'olio mi ha scottato il braccio.[4][16][17]
  2. The stain or spot that a splash leaves: La camicia era piena di schizzi di caffè.[4][14][17]
  3. A dash: a small amount of a spirit or other liquid added to a drink: caffè con lo schizzo, coffee laced with a spirit.[14][15][18]
  4. (slang) In drug users' jargon, an injected dose of a drug.[4][14]
  5. A sketch: a drawing done quickly with a few essential strokes: Ha fatto uno schizzo del porto a carboncino.[4][16][15]
  6. By extension, a first rough draft or outline of a text or project, open to revision.[4][17][15]
  7. A brief, summary description or account: Mi ha dato uno schizzo della riunione.[4][14]
  8. (uncommon) A sudden, very quick leap or dart.[4][16][15]
  9. (figurative, Tuscan, colloquial) A quick, very lively person.[14][16][15]
  10. (music, uncommon) A descriptive symphonic piece in a free form.[4]
  11. (vulgar, slang) An ejaculation.[1]

Word family

  • schizzetto

Usage notes

The DEI lists the “splash” and the “sketch” senses as two headwords, both from schizzare;[5] DELI, Nocentini and GRADIT treat them as one word.[2][3][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3392
  6. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  10. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  11. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  13. ^ a b c d e f Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  15. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  16. ^ 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
  17. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  18. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
Cite this entry

“Schizzo.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/schizzo. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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