tetta Italian · revision 38846

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=1304–1307, Dante, Convivio|origins=la titta}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈtet.ta/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''tetta''' ''f'' (plural tette)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms are ''teta'' and ''tete''; in Lombardy and Veneto the word is ''teta''.^(TLIO)^(Prati 1951|990)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-lat|titta|t=teat, nipple]], a word of children's speech of expressive origin.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Similar words are found in very many languages: [[grc|τίτθη|tr=títthē|t=nurse]], [[en|teat]] and [[en|tit]], and [[de|Zitze]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)^(DEI|3781) The cognates are [[fr|tette]], [[oc|teta]], [[ca|teta]], [[es|teta]] and [[pt|teta]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)

+

+ A Germanic origin has been proposed: Zaccaria followed Diez, who thought that the wavering between ⟨t⟩ and ⟨z⟩ in Italian forms such as [[zezzolo]] and [[cizza]] pointed to a loan from Germanic rather than Greek, and Wiktionary derives the Late Latin word from [[frk|*titta]] and [[gem-pro|*titt-|t=teat]].^(Zaccaria 1901|538)^(Wiktionary) DELI thinks a Germanic origin very doubtful, and the TLIO says that DELI, Nocentini and DEI all reject it, while Castellani supported it.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Dante's ''Convivio'' (1304–1307) has the first record: as soon as it is born the child seizes its mother's breast (''a la tetta de la madre s'apprende'').^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)^(GDLI) The sense is the breast, and by metonymy the nipple.^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Italian ''dare la tetta'' meant to breastfeed and ''pigliare le tette'' to be breastfed, and the verb ''tettare'' “to suckle” is found in the Ottimo commentary on Dante.^(TLIO)^(DEI|3781) Tommaseo described it as a childish reduplicated sound like ''mamma'', still alive in the Tuscan countryside.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ By the 19th century the word had become familiar or jocular, and the GDLI notes its use both in children's speech and in erotic language;^(GDLI)^(Prati 1951|990)^(DEI|3781) Panzini (1931) records it humorously for wine.^(GDLI)^(Prati 1951|990)^(DEI|3781) The diminutive ''tettarella'', the rubber teat of a feeding bottle, is recorded in 1942 and the dummy given to a baby in 1965;^(DELI 1999) DELI notes French ''téterelle'' from 1872.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1304–1307 – Dante uses ''tetta'' in the ''Convivio''.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+ * 14th century – ''Tettare'' “to suckle” appears in the Ottimo commentary.^(DEI|3781)

+ * 1931 – Panzini records the jocular sense “wine”.^(DEI|3781)

+ * 1942 – ''Tettarella'' “teat of a feeding bottle” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 1965 – ''Tettarella'' is recorded for a baby's dummy.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(informal)'' A [[m|en|breast]], [[mammella]]: ''Il bambino piange perché vuole la tetta.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(informal)'' The [[m|en|nipple]], [[capezzolo]].^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[tettarella]]

+ * [[tettare]]

+ * [[tettina]]

+ * [[tettola]]

+ * [[tettona]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[zizza]]

+ * [[la|titta]]

+ * [[en|teat]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The word belongs to familiar speech;^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Wiktionary also marks it as vulgar.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The usual words are ''seno'' and ''mammella''.^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}