beccare Italian · revision 38737

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1282, Restoro d'Arezzo|origins=xtg}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /bekˈka.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''beccare''' (first-person singular present bécco, first-person singular past historic beccài, past participle beccàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|it|becco#1|-are|t1=beak]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The same verb is [[fr|becquer]], [[fro|bechier]] and [[oc|becar]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|472)^(REW 1935)

+

+ “Becco” is [[inh|la|beccus|t=beak]], a word of Gaulish origin, as Suetonius records: a man born at Toulouse had the boyhood nickname “Becco”, which, Suetonius says, means a cock's beak.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) DELI suggests a Gaulish base, [[xtg|*bukko]], perhaps of Germanic origin, and notes that the word displaced [[la|rōstrum|t=beak]] in much of the Romance area.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in Restoro d'Arezzo's ''Composizione del mondo'' (1282), in the sense “to take food with the beak”, said of birds.^(TLIO)^(Zingarelli 2010) DELI's first record of this sense is in Boccaccio (1353), and of “to peck, to wound with the beak” in Francesco da Barberino (before 1348), who tells parents what to do when a bird pecks a child's finger.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Already in Old Italian the verb was used of people eating, and ''beccar fave'' meant “to be reduced to poverty”.^(TLIO) Sacchetti (before 1400) used it for “to eat”, Pulci (before 1484) the reflexive ''beccarsi'' “to get, to earn”, and Machiavelli (before 1527) “to get by luck or cunning”.^(DELI 1999) Aretino (1534) has ''beccati quest'altra'' “take that!”.^(DELI 1999) The sense “to sting”, of insects, is northern Italian, recorded in the 19th century.^(DEI|472)

+

+ Manzoni used the reciprocal ''beccarsi'', of birds pecking each other, in ''Fermo e Lucia'' (1821–1823), and for people quarrelling in 1846.^(DELI 1999) In the theatre, ''beccare'' an actor meant to heckle a slip or a poor line, recorded by Bettoli in 1885.^(DELI 1999)^(Prati 1951|127) Slang added “to catch, to arrest” (1966), “to hit with a shot”, and “to pick up” a partner.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)^(GRADIT 2003) Derivatives include ''beccamorti'' “gravedigger” and ''becchino'', both in Boccaccio (1353), and ''beccafico'', the warbler that is fond of figs (before 1484).^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1282 – Restoro d'Arezzo uses ''beccare'' of birds feeding.^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1348 – Francesco da Barberino uses it for pecking.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1353 – Boccaccio has ''beccamorti'' and ''becchino''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1484 – Pulci uses ''beccarsi'' “to get” and ''beccafico''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1527 – Machiavelli uses it for getting by luck or cunning.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1846 – Manzoni uses ''beccarsi'' for quarrelling.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1885 – Bettoli records the theatre sense “to heckle”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1966 – The sense “to catch, to arrest” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # Of birds, to [[m|en|peck]] (up), to take food with the beak: ''Le galline beccavano il granturco nell'aia.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To peck, to strike with the beak; of insects, to [[m|en|sting]] or bite: ''Stanotte mi hanno beccato le zanzare.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(humorous)'' To nibble, to eat a little: ''Ho beccato qualcosa prima di uscire.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To get, to win; also to catch something unwelcome (often ''beccarsi''): ''Si è beccato una multa salata.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To catch, to [[m|en|nab]], to catch in the act: ''L'hanno beccato mentre usciva dalla finestra.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' To hit, especially with a shot.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To tease, to needle; in the theatre and at sports events, to [[m|en|heckle]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(slang)'' To pick up someone.^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI)

+ # ''(intransitive, colloquial)'' To be beaten, to lose.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(reciprocal)'' ''Beccarsi'': to peck each other, ''(figurative)'' to bicker.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[beccata]]

+ * [[beccatura]]

+ * [[becchettare]]

+ * [[becchettio]]

+ * [[beccafico]]

+ * [[beccamorto]]

+ * [[beccapesci]]

+ * [[beccatoio]]

+ * [[beccheggiare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[becco]]

+ * [[becchino]]

+ * [[becchime]]

+ * [[imbeccare]]

+ * [[rimbeccare]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The proverb ''gallina che non becca ha già beccato'', “a hen that does not peck has already pecked”, is said of someone who has no appetite at table because they have eaten beforehand.^(Treccani 2011) ''Béccati questa!'' means “take that!”.^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}