vezzo

Forms

vezzo m (plural vezzi)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin vitium (“fault, defect; vice”), the popular outcome beside the learned vizio, its doublet.^[2][3][4][1] In Italian it took the neutral sense “habit”, which also lies behind avvezzare “to accustom”, from Vulgar Latin *advitiāre.^[2][3] The same word is Old Occitan vetz (“habit”) and Romansh vez, and the Lombard and Piedmontese dialects have forms of it.^[5][6]

Battisti and Alessio derived the sense “necklace” separately, from Late Latin viteus (“of the vine”), said of a vine shoot, through Bolognese, where a medieval document of 1470 has Medieval Latin vecium for a necklace.^[7] DELI rejects this, and Nocentini derives the necklace from the sense “charms”, as an ornament that lends grace.^[2][3]

The origin of vitium is not settled: de Vaan reports a reconstruction Proto-Indo-European *(d)ui-tio- (“apart, wrong”), from the root of “two”, and Nocentini finds no sure comparison.^[8][1][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is a 13th-century vernacular Bible, with the sense “a gesture or word that shows affection”.^[2] Battisti and Alessio's first author is Francesco da Barberino, in the 14th century, with the plural for affected airs.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Boccaccio used the plural for coaxing, fussy ways, and Pucci, in the 14th century, for a bad habit.^[2][7] Petrarch's proverb says that one changes one's hair sooner than one's habit (altri cangia il pelo / anzi che 'l vezzo).^[9][10] The general sense “characteristic manner of speaking or moving” is recorded in L. Pulci, before 1484, and “bad habit, vice” in B. Davanzati, before 1600.^[2]

In the 16th century the word also named a string of pearls or coral worn around the neck: Firenzuola has it in 1518–1525, and a vezzo di perle is a fixed combination.^[2][11][12] The plural for charms and graces is recorded in 1807.^[2] Salvini used it for a Greek round dance in the 18th century.^[7] The derivatives vezzoso (Dante) and vezzeggiare (16th century) carry the affectionate sense.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 13th century – A vernacular Bible uses vezzo for a token of affection.^[2]
• 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses the plural for coaxing ways.^[2][13]
• Before 1484 – L. Pulci uses it for a habitual manner.^[2]
• 1518–1525 – Firenzuola uses it for a necklace.^[2]
• Before 1600 – B. Davanzati uses it for a bad habit.^[2]
• 1612 – The Crusca dictionary uses vezzeggiativo as a grammatical term.^[2]
• 1807 – The plural for charms is recorded in a Milanese print.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A habit, a habitual manner: lo dice sempre così, per vezzo.^{[13][14][9][10]}
2. A bad habit, a vice, vizio: ha il vezzo di interrompere chi parla.^[13][4][10]
3. An affectionate gesture, a caress, carezza: fece un vezzo al cane.^{[13][14][4][10]}
4. (in the plural) Coaxing, affected ways, moine, smancerie.^{[13][14][9][10]}
5. (in the plural) Charms, graces, especially of a woman.^{[13][4][9][10]}
6. A necklace of pearls, coral and the like: al collo portava un vezzo di perle rosa.^{[13][4][9][10]}

Word family

• vezzoso
• vezzeggiare
• vezzeggiativo
• vezzeggiamento
• vezzosità
• svezzare

Related words

• avvezzare
• vizio
• avvezzo
• Latin vitium

Usage notes

Per vezzo means “out of habit” or “for effect”, and mal vezzo is a bad habit.^[13][14][10] The sense “necklace” is now dated.^[9]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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 Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Marcato, Carla (1998), I dialetti italiani: dizionario etimologico, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 4044
8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ a b c d e f g h Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
13. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
14. ^ 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