zitto Italian · revision 37917

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=onomatopoeia|attested=1353, Giovanni Boccaccio}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈd͡zit.to/, /ˈt͡sit.to/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''zitto''' (feminine zitta, masculine plural zitti, feminine plural zitte)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an imitative word.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(DEI)^(Wiktionary) Nocentini explains it as a Romance onomatopoeia built on the consonant /ts/ and the front vowel /i/, used first to stand for the faintest sound one can make, in phrases such as “senza fare zitto” “without a word”.^(Nocentini 2010) Meyer-Lübke and Körting put it with other sound words calling for silence: [[ro|cit]], [[fr|chut]], [[es|chito]] and [[pt|chiton]].^(REW 1935)^(Körting 1907)^(DEI) Compare [[scn|zittu]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ Vittore Pisani proposed in 1948 that it comes from [[la|quiētus|t=quiet, at rest]], through a series of changes in the first syllable and a doubled ⟨t⟩ as in [[lettera]];^(DELI 1999) DELI finds that this needs too many assumptions, and Clemente Merlo argued again for an imitative origin in 1950.^(DELI 1999) Devoto saw it as a Tuscan form of an imitative series.^(Devoto 1968)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ In the 14th century, in Boccaccio and Giovanni Villani, ''far zitto'' meant “to make the least sound”;^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) Zingarelli dates the word to 1353.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) Boccaccio writes “senza far motto o zitto alcuno” (without a word or a whisper).^(Zingarelli 2010) The adjective “silent” and the interjection are first recorded in Benedetto Varchi (before 1565), who lists among the Italian ways of saying “to be silent” the phrase “chiudila, sta' zitto” (shut it, keep quiet).^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|21, 1083)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The extended sense “who does not speak up or stand up for his rights” is recorded before 1742, in Giovan Battista Fagiuoli, and ''far stare zitto'' “to force someone to be quiet” in 1891.^(DELI 1999) Writers from Tassoni and Foscolo to Manzoni and Verga use ''stare zitto'' for keeping quiet, Manzoni saying of a parish priest that “se ne starà zitto” (he will keep quiet about it).^(GDLI|21, 1083) Tommaseo also notes ''sta' zitto'' as a way of drawing someone's attention.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ The verb ''zittire'' “to hiss someone into silence”, especially singers, actors or speakers the audience dislikes, is recorded from Daniello Bartoli (1670); its transitive use was criticized by purists, as Panzini noted in 1905, but became established.^(DELI 1999) ''Azzittire'' follows in the 18th century and ''zittio'' “hushing” in 1942.^(Nocentini 2010) The noun ''zitto'' “whisper” survives in literary use, as in ''non sentire uno zitto'' “not to hear a sound”.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1353 – Boccaccio uses ''zitto'' for the faintest sound.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1565 – Benedetto Varchi uses ''zitto'' as an adjective and as an interjection.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1670 – Daniello Bartoli uses ''zittire''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1742 – Fagiuoli uses ''stare zitto'' for not standing up for one's rights.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1891 – ''Far stare zitto'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1942 – ''Zittio'' is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|silent]], not speaking: ''I ragazzi ascoltavano zitti in fondo all'aula.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''stare'', ''rimanere zitto'': to keep [[m|en|quiet]], also not to protest or not to reveal what one knows: ''Quando l'hanno accusato, è rimasto zitto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''far stare zitto'': to make someone be quiet, by persuasion or force.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''zitto zitto'': in complete silence; on the quiet, without being noticed.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ===Interjection===

+ # Be quiet!, [[m|en|hush]]!, also as a threat; it agrees with the person addressed: ''Zitti, sta arrivando il professore!''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(rare, literary)'' A [[m|en|whisper]] or faint sound, mostly in ''non sentire uno zitto'', “not to hear a sound”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[zittire]]

+ * [[azzittire]]

+ * [[zittio]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[es|chito]]

+ * [[fr|chut]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Wiktionary gives the initial ⟨z⟩ as either /dz/ or /ts/, and Zingarelli allows both.^(Wiktionary)^(Zingarelli 2010) Intensive phrases include ''zitto e mosca'' and ''zitto come l'olio''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(DELI 1999)^(Gabrielli 2020) ''Alla zitta'' “on the sly” is uncommon.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}