tagliola

Forms

tagliola f (plural tagliole)^[1]

Etymology

The origin is disputed.^[2][3] Nocentini takes it as inherited from Latin tāleola (“small cutting”), the diminutive of tālea (“cutting, slip”) (see talea), used for a trap for small animals.^[4][5] Zingarelli and Sabatini–Coletti agree, explaining the name by the shape.^[4][6][7][5] Devoto compared the shape of a layered shoot.^[8] GRADIT, Devoto–Oli, Treccani and Wiktionary see it instead as formed from Italian tagliare + -ola.^{[9][10][11][1]} DELI, which lists it under that verb, thinks it may not belong to that family, and reports Alinei's view that it comes from the Latin noun in the sense “military trap”, from Latin tālus (“heel”), as pedica (“fetter”) comes from pēs (“foot”).^[2][3]

The word is widely recorded in Medieval Latin: Medieval Latin talleola at Verona in 1276 and talgiola at Cicolano in the 13th century.^[2][3] The diminutive survives for a cutting in the dialects of Reggio, Parma and Verona.^[12] The Latin noun has no sure etymology, and de Vaan allows only a link with the word for heel.^[13]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first Italian record is the form tagliuola in the vernacular Crescenzi, around 1350, for an iron trap with sharp hooks in which foxes and wolves are caught.^[2][3] GRADIT dates the word to 1320 and Zingarelli to the 13th century.^[9][6]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense “trap, hidden snare” is old: Antonio Pucci has enemies preso alla tagliuola, and Sacchetti asks which tyrant is not caught a nuove tagliuole.^[3] The form tagliola is recorded in 1640 in Oudin, and tagliuola is now literary.^[2][10][11]

Several kinds of trap are distinguished: for mice, for martens, for birds of prey, and the spring trap with toothed jaws for foxes and wolves; in Italy these traps are illegal.^[11] In nursery gardening the word names the trench where young plants or cuttings wait before planting.^[9][7][6] In parliamentary language the tagliola is the rule that cuts off debate on a decree when each group's time runs out, and the vote follows.^[10]

Timeline

• 13th century – Medieval Latin talgiola is recorded at Cicolano.^[2]
• 1276 – Medieval Latin talleola is recorded at Verona.^[2][3]
• 1320 – GRADIT's date for the first Italian record.^[9]
• c. 1350 – Tagliuola appears in the translation of Crescenzi.^[2]
• 1640 – Oudin records the form tagliola.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A trap for game or vermin: a metal device with toothed jaws that snap shut on a spring when the animal touches it: la volpe è rimasta nella tagliola.^{[9][10][7][14]}
2. (figurative, uncommon) A snare, a trick: tendere la tagliola a qualcuno.^[10][7][6]
3. (horticulture) A trench or bed where young plants or rooted cuttings are kept for a time before planting.^[9][7][6]
4. (politics) The parliamentary rule that limits each group's speaking time on a decree, after which the final vote is taken; also tagliola parlamentare.^[10]

Related words

• tagliare
• talea
• tagliolo
• Latin tālea

Usage notes

GRADIT has a separate rare tagliola, a 20th-century derivative of tagliolo and the same as that word.^[9] Tagliolo is the smith's tool for cutting metal.^[2] The literary form is tagliuola.^[10][11]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 f Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
4. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 437
9. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
11. ^ 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)
12. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
13. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli