Etymologically

tucca

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 24 October 2026 at 18:46. This address is a permanent link to this version.

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ˈtʊk.ka][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [ˈtuk.ka][1]

Forms

tucca f (genitive tuccae); first declension[1]

Etymology

The origin is unknown.[1] Wiktionary considers a Celtic or pre-Celtic substrate source probable, and mentions a possible connection with Proto-Indo-European *tewk- (“to swell; fat”) and with Umbrian toco.[1] The OLD calls the derived tuccētum a word of Cisalpine Gaul and compares the same Umbrian word, which it glosses with a query as “salted”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is known from the Latin glossaries, which render it with the Greek phrase κατάχυμα ζωμοῦ, a pouring of broth.[3]

Semantic evolution

Its derivative tuccetum is better attested: Persius, Apuleius and Arnobius use it,[4] and the OLD defines it as a savoury dish which the scholiast on Persius describes as beef or pork preserved with seasoning and marinade.[2]

Timeline

  • 34–62 AD – Persius uses the derivative tuccetum.[2][5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A kind of sauce or broth, possibly liquid lard.[1][3]

Word family

  • tuccētum

Usage notes

Tucca is also a Roman surname, borne by Marcus Plotius Tucca, a friend of Virgil, who published the Aeneid with Varius.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Goetz, Georg (1888–1923), Corpus glossariorum Latinorum, Leipzig: Teubner; vols. VI–VII Thesaurus glossarum emendatarum, digital ed. CGLO, Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  7. ^ Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier