scoiattolo

Forms

scoiattolo m (plural scoiattoli)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *scuriŏlus, a diminutive of Latin sciūrus (“squirrel”) through a form *sciuriolus with the sounds swapped according to DELI, or by dissimilation according to Zingarelli and Gabrielli.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The ending was then reshaped with the suffix -attolo, perhaps under the influence of ratto (“rat”) according to DEI, or of words such as giocattolo according to Gabrielli.^[7][5][8][4] Wiktionary instead makes it a diminutive in -olo of the older scoiatto, which DEI finds in Pulci, from *scuriatus, from *scurius, a variant of the Latin word.^[1][7][9]

The Latin noun is a borrowing of Ancient Greek σκίουρος (skíouros), a compound of σκιά (skiá, “shadow”) and οὐρά (ourá, “tail”): the animal that shades itself with its tail.^{[2][3][1][10]} French écureuil and Occitan esquirol go back to the same Vulgar Latin diminutive.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Medieval Latin documents have schilatus at Venice in 1264 and scuiatulus at Bologna in 1412.^[7][2] DELI's first Italian record is C. Landino in 1476, who writes in his Pliny that the squirrels (sciuri, da noi chiamati scoiattoli) foresee the winds and block the side of the nest the wind comes from.^[2][8] DELI could not check an earlier record from a book of travels quoted in the dictionaries.^[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Older and variant forms include scoiatto in Pulci, scoiatolo and scuoiattolo, and scoiuolo in Erasmo di Valvasone (1591), beside the related schiratto and scheruolo.^[7][8] From the animal's agility the word came to describe a lively, nimble person and a good climber, as in gli Scoiattoli di Cortina, a group of climbers and mountain guides.^[11][12][9] The name also covers the whole squirrel family, including the flying squirrels and the American grey squirrel brought into Europe.^[11][9][8]

Timeline

• 1264 – Medieval Latin schilatus is recorded at Venice.^[7]
• 1412 – Medieval Latin scuiatulus is recorded at Bologna.^[2]
• 1476 – C. Landino uses scoiattoli in his Pliny.^[2][4]
• 15th century – Pulci has the older scoiatto.^[7]
• 1591 – Erasmo di Valvasone has scoiuolo.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. squirrel: a small tree-dwelling rodent with a long bushy tail usually held upright and reddish, grey or blackish fur, known for its agility, especially the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).^[11][4][12]
2. (zoology) Any of various rodents of the squirrel family: scoiattolo volante, flying squirrel.^[11][6][4]
3. (figurative) A lively, nimble person, especially a good climber: sulla parete di roccia Giulia era uno scoiattolo.^[11][6][12]

Word family

• scoiattolino
• scoiattolare
• scoiattolesco

Related words

• sciuro
• Latin sciurus
• French écureuil

Usage notes

Similes such as arrampicarsi come uno scoiattolo stress the animal's agility.^[4][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
6. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e f g Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3407
8. ^ a b c d e Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 18
9. ^ 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)
10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse