sciocco Italian · revision 39149

+ {{infobox|confidence=disputed|formation=inherited|attested=before 1292, Bono Giamboni|origins=la sucus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈʃɔk.ko/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sciocco''' (feminine sciocca, masculine plural sciocchi, feminine plural sciocche, superlative sciocchissimo)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is uncertain.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) The usual explanation is a [[inh|la-vul|*exsuccus|t=without juice]], beside [[la-lat|exsūcus]], from [[m|la|ex-]] and [[m|la|sūcus|t=juice]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Körting 1907) The Latin adjective is used by Quintilian of a dry, lifeless orator.^(Körting 1907) Nocentini and Devoto explain the unexpected open /ɔ/ from Latin short /u/ by alignment with words in ⟨-occo⟩.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968) Nocentini, following Giacomelli and Poggi Salani, finds the decisive argument in the sense “unsalted, tasteless”, attested from the first Tuscan writers of the 14th century and still alive in Tuscan dialects, so that “stupid” would be a metaphor from it.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Cortelazzo & Marcato 1998)

+

+ Meyer-Lübke doubted this etymology because of the vowel.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) Ugo Vignuzzi, reviewing the question in 1977, argued that the order of the two senses is not proven, and that a path from the sense “shaken, battered” to “touched in the head” and “stupid” is a serious possibility, as the participle of a verb [[scioccare]] “to shake”.^(DELI 1999)^(Cortelazzo & Marcato 1998)^(GDLI) DELI adds that this participle is itself barely attested and of unclear origin, and that Lurati compares the word with [[ciocco]] “log”, as one calls a fool a block of wood.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The Latin noun goes back to [[ine-pro|*souḱ-o-|t=juice]], although Schrijver takes the words for “suck” and “juice” as borrowed from a substrate language.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The noun “foolish person” is in Bono Giamboni, who died before 1292, and the adjective “lacking judgement” in Dante (1310–1313).^(DELI 1999) The sense “without salt” is first recorded in the Italian translation of Pietro de' Crescenzi, around 1350.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In 14th-century Florence the two senses lived side by side: Franco Sacchetti tells of a husband who tastes the ''sciocca vivanda'', the unsalted dish, and starts to grumble, while Boccaccio speaks of ''sciocche anime'', inexperienced souls.^(GDLI)^(GRADIT 2003) Old uses now lost include “vain, ineffective”, as in Ariosto.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

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+ Outside Tuscany only the sense “stupid” spread, and the dialects kept their own words for “unsalted”.^(Nocentini 2010) In standard Italian the food sense is now marked as Tuscan.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) The noun ''sciocchezza'' is in Boccaccio (1353) for foolishness, and later for a foolish act or word (end of the 14th century) and for a trifle (1922).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses ''sciocco'' “fool”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1310–1313 – Dante uses the adjective.^(DELI 1999)

+ * c. 1350 – The translation of Crescenzi uses ''sciocco'' “unsalted”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1353 – Boccaccio uses ''sciocchezza''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Late 14th century – ''Sciocchezza'' “foolish act or word” in Mannelli's chronicle.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1922 – ''Sciocchezza'' “trifle” is recorded by Zingarelli.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|foolish]], [[m|en|silly]]: lacking intelligence, judgement or shrewdness: ''Sono stato sciocco a credergli.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Showing a lack of intelligence: ''una domanda sciocca''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Trivial, of little importance: ''un litigio per un motivo sciocco''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(Tuscan)'' Unsalted or not salty enough, [[m|en|insipid]]: ''Questo brodo è sciocco.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Vain, ineffective; also inexperienced.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|fool]], a silly person, ''non è uno sciocco'', he knows what he is doing.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sciocchezza]]

+ * [[scioccaggine]]

+ * [[scioccamente]]

+ * [[scioccheria]]

+ * [[sciocchino]]

+ * [[scioccherello]]

+ * [[scioccone]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[succo]]

+ * [[sugo]]

+ * [[la|exsucus]]

+ * [[la|sucus]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Battaglia lists two minor homographs: ''sciocco'' “dishevelled”, used by Marino of hair and connected with ''sciocchiare'', and an old ''sciocco'', a coin of Bohemia and Moravia, of unknown origin.^(GDLI) In Tuscany ''sciocco'' is the ordinary word for food without salt.^(Cortelazzo & Marcato 1998)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}