trebbia

Forms

trebbia f (plural trebbie)^[1] In Tuscany the popular form is tribbia.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun from Italian trebbiare (“to thresh”), as DELI, Nocentini, GRADIT, Devoto–Oli, Sabatini–Coletti, Zingarelli and the GDLI explain it.^{[5][2][6][7][8][3][9]} Treccani's Vocabolario derives only the sense “threshing” from the verb and takes the sense “threshing machine” from Latin trēbla, a dialect variant of trībŭla.^[10] Gabrielli also starts from a popular Latin *trebla, and Wiktionary from Vulgar Latin *tribla, with the loss of the middle vowel of tribŭla.^[11][1] Körting notes the syncopated form tribla in the Appendix Probi.^[12]

The verb comes from *trebŭlāre, a variant of trībŭlāre, formed from trībŭlum (“threshing sledge”).^[5][2][1] This sledge was a toothed board dragged over the ears spread on the threshing floor, a method still used in southern Italy in the 20th century.^[2] The Latin noun is formed from terō (“to rub, grind; to thresh”), according to DELI from its perfect stem, and has no connections outside Latin.^[5][2] The same verb gave Spanish trillar and Portuguese trilhar.^[2][12] The learned doublet of the verb is tribolare.^[5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is figurative, in the sermons of Giordano da Pisa (before 1311), where trials are the threshing that God sends to men: Le tribulazioni sono trebbie d'Iddio a trebbiar le genti, acciocchè si scevri la paglia dal grano (“tribulations are God's threshings to thresh the peoples, so that the straw is parted from the grain”).^[5][13][4] The TLIO defines this use as physical or moral pain.^[13]

Semantic evolution

The literal sense, the threshing of grain, is recorded from Vincenzo Scamozzi (before 1616), who wants farmyards large enough per le trebbie e batter delle biade.^[5][9][4] Tommaseo notes the Maremma form tribbia.^[4] The word also names the season of threshing, and writers from Verga and D'Annunzio to Jovine use it of the work on the threshing floor.^[1][9]

With the machines of the late 19th century trebbia came to mean the threshing machine as well: Nocentini, GRADIT and Devoto–Oli date this sense to 1895, and DELI cites Migliorini's appendix of 1942, which calls it the popular form of trebbiatrice.^[2][6][7][5] D'Annunzio writes of il canto della trebbia, and Fenoglio of a threshing machine that has stopped after an accident.^[9] GRADIT and Devoto–Oli mark both senses as uncommon, and Treccani as regional.^[6][7][14]

Timeline

• Before 1311 – Giordano da Pisa uses trebbie figuratively for God's trials.^[5][13]
• 14th century – The Bible translation names an instrument of torture trebbie di ferro.^[5][2]
• Before 1616 – Vincenzo Scamozzi uses the word for the threshing of grain.^[5]
• 1895 – First record of the sense “threshing machine”.^[2][6][7]
• 1942 – Migliorini records it as the popular word for the threshing machine.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. (agriculture, uncommon) A threshing machine, the same as trebbiatrice.^{[6][7][8][3][14]}
2. (agriculture, uncommon) threshing, the operation and its season, the same as trebbiatura: In paese tutti erano occupati con la trebbia.^{[6][7][8][3][1]}

Related words

• trebbiare
• trebbiatrice
• trebbiatura
• tribolare
• Latin tribulum

Usage notes

GRADIT's trebbia 2 is an old instrument of torture, from the 14th century, from Latin tribulum influenced by trebbiare.^[6] DELI and Devoto–Oli keep it with the threshing word and quote the Bible translation: Lo pose sotto delle seghe, e sotto delle trebbie di ferro.^[5][7] Tommaseo describes it as square and set with iron spikes.^[4]

GRADIT's trebbia 2 also names a grass whose stiff roots are used for brushes (Andropogon gryllus), a northern word from Latin tribulus recorded by Penzig in 1924.^[6][15][9] Trebbia 3, mostly plural, is the spent grain of brewing, the husks of the malt left after mashing and used as fodder.^[6][7][10] It is first recorded in 1961 and probably comes from German Treber (“marc, draff”).^{[6][7][8][3][10]} With a capital, Trebbia is a river of Emilia-Romagna, from Latin Trebia.^[1]

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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b c d e Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 h i Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ 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. 21, 292
10. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
12. ^ a b Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
13. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
14. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3878