razza Italian · revision 38520

+ {{homograph|1|breed, race}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=late 13th century, Fatti di Cesare|origins=fro haraz}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈrat.t͡sa/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''razza''' ''f'' (plural razze)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The breed is probably [[bor|fro|haraz|t=horse stud, stud farm]], an Old French word probably of Norse origin, which developed from “stud” to “breed of horses” and then to “kind, descent”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Medieval Latin had [[m|la-med|aratia]] and [[m|la-med|arracia]] for the king's stud in Sicily in 1267.^(GDLI) The first vowel of the French word was lost, taken for part of the article.^(Devoto 1968)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ The origin was long disputed.^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary) Salvioni (1902) derived the word from [[la|generātiō|t=generation]] with loss of the first syllables, as Ottavio Ferrari had in the 17th century;^(DELI 1999)^(REW 1935)^(Prati 1951) Canello (1872), Leo Spitzer and Prati preferred [[la|ratiō|t=nature, kind]].^(DELI 1999)^(REW 1935)^(Prati 1951) DEI suggested [[ar|رَأْس|tr=raʔs|t=head]], and Wiktionary also lists [[la|racēmus]] and [[la|rādīx]] among the proposals.^(DEI|3214)^(Wiktionary)^(Körting 1907) Gianfranco Contini (1959) settled the question for DELI and Nocentini: the oldest example, in the Old Italian poem L'Intelligenza, is the masculine [[roa-oit|razzo]], used of “a steed of great breeding”, which matches the French word exactly, and the early contexts always speak of horses from a good stud.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Francesco Sabatini (1962) added more evidence.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ From Italian the word passed to [[fr|race]] (about 1480), [[es|raza]], [[pt|raça]], [[en|race]] and [[de|Rasse]] (1581).^(Nocentini 2010)^(DIFIT)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in the Sienese ''Fatti di Cesare'' (late 13th century). The early senses are a stud or herd of horses, then the quality or origin of a man or animal.^(TLIO)^(Nocentini 2010) The ''Intelligenza'' has the masculine ''razzo''.^(DELI 1999)^(Prati 1951)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Antonio Pucci (before 1388) uses ''razza'' for a kind or sort, often in a figurative or contemptuous way;^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) Giovanni Gherardi (before 1446) writes of thousands of horses “of the most prized stock and breed of Apulia”, and the ''Pataffio'' uses the word for lineage.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) The use for divisions of mankind by physical features is recorded in 1866.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Derivatives tied to theories of race came in the 20th century: ''razziale'' (''raziale'' from 1900, after English ''racial''), ''razzismo'' (Croce, 1932, beside French ''racisme'') and ''razzista''.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Modern dictionaries stress that the division of mankind into races has no scientific basis, and GRADIT marks the use of ''razza'' for peoples in racist language.^(Treccani 2011)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1267 – Medieval Latin ''aratia'' is used for the royal stud in Sicily.^(GDLI)

+ * Late 13th century – ''Razza'' appears in the ''Fatti di Cesare''.^(TLIO)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1388 – Antonio Pucci uses it for a kind or sort.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1446 – Giovanni Gherardi uses it for a breed of horses.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+ * c. 1480 – French ''race'' is recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1581 – German ''Rasse'' is recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1866 – It is used for human races.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1932 – Benedetto Croce uses ''razzismo''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1959 – Contini traces the word to Old French ''haraz''.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|breed]] of animals or variety of plants with shared hereditary features: ''Allevano una razza di pecore da latte.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # A [[m|en|race]], one of the groups into which mankind was traditionally divided by physical features.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # [[m|en|descent]], lineage, stock.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(often derogatory)'' A kind, sort: ''Che razza di risposta è questa?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[razziale]]

+ * [[razzismo]]

+ * [[razzista]]

+ * [[razzistico]]

+ * [[razzatore]]

+ * [[dirazzare]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|ray (fish)}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1312–1314, Lio Mazor|origins=la raia}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈrad.d͡za/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''razza''' ''f'' (plural razze)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The fish is [[bor|vec|raza]], the Venetian continuation of [[la|raia|t=ray]], with the voiced /dz/ of the north.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Prati 1951) The same Latin word is [[fr|raie]], [[oc|raia]], [[es|raya]] and [[pt|arraia]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Körting 1907)

+

+ The Latin word is of unknown origin for DELI and GRADIT.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Nocentini derives it from an earlier [[m|la|*radia]], the feminine of [[la|radius|t=ray; spike]], for the spiny skin of the fish, and notes after Rohlfs that its name is often that of spiny plants, as [[co|razza|t=sarsaparilla]] and [[egl|raṣa|t=bramble]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999) De Vaan compares [[dum|rogghe]] and [[ang|reohhe]] “ray” and thinks of a loanword from a substrate language.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in the Venetian ''Lio Mazor'' (1312–1314).^(TLIO) Medieval Latin ''razia'' is found at Venice in 1227.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ A document from Fiume has ''razia'' in 1449, and Cristoforo Messisbugo's cookery book has ''razza'' in 1549, listing it among fish of little value.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) Florio (1598) gives ''raggia'' and ''razzo'', and Rome had ''raia'' in the 16th century.^(DELI 1999) Redi notes that the rays have no swim bladder.^(GDLI)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1227 – Medieval Latin ''razia'' is recorded at Venice.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1312–1314 – ''Razza'' appears in the Venetian ''Lio Mazor''.^(TLIO)

+ * 1449 – A document from Fiume has ''razia''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1549 – Messisbugo writes ''razza''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(zoology)'' A [[m|en|ray]] or [[m|en|skate]], a flat cartilaginous sea fish with a rhomboid body and wide pectoral fins: ''razza chiodata'' “thornback ray”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fr|race]]

+ * [[la|raia]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The two words differ in pronunciation: the breed has voiceless /tts/, the fish voiced /ddz/.^(Wiktionary)^(DiPI) A third ''razza'', the spoke of a wheel, is an Emilian loan from Latin ''radius'' according to Alessio, recorded as Medieval Latin ''razus'' at Modena in the 13th century and in Italian by Oudin in 1640.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}