Venetian Language - English Words of Venetian Origin

English Words of Venetian Origin

Venetian source English loanword Notes
arsenàl arsenal via Italian; from Arabic dār aṣ-ṣināʿah 'house of work/skills, factory'
artichioco artichoke from Arabic al-haršūf
balota ballot 'ball' used in Venetian elections
casin casino borrowed in Italianized form
sc'iao ciao used originally in Venetian to mean 'your servant', 'at your service'
contrabando contraband
gazeta gazette 'small Venetian coin'; from the phrase gazeta de la novità 'a penny worth of news'
g(h)eto ghetto
ziro giro 'circle, turn, spin'; borrowed in Italianized form; from the name of the bank Banco del Ziro
gnoco, -chi gnocchi 'lump, bump, gnocchi'; from Germanic *knokk- 'knuckle, joint'
gondola gondola
laguna lagoon
lazareto Lazaretto, lazaret
Lido lido
lo(t)to lotto from Germanic *lot- 'destiny, fate'
malvasia malmsey
marzapan marzipan from Arabic martabān, the name for the porcelain container in which marzipan was transported, from Mataban in the Bay of Bengal where these were made (this is one of several proposed etymologies for the English word)
negroponte Negroponte Greek Island called Eubea or Evia in the Aegean Sea
Montenegro Montenegro 'black mountain' Country on the Eastern side of the Adriatic Sea
Pantalon pantaloon a character in the Commedia dell'arte
pestacio/pistacio pistachio ultimately from Middle Persian *pistak
quarantena quarantine
regata regatta originally 'fight, contest'
scampo, -i scampi from Greek κάμπη 'caterpillar', lit. 'curved (animal)'
zechin sequin 'Venetian gold ducat'; from Arabic sikkah 'coin, minting die'
Zanni zany a character in the Commedia dell'arte
zero zero via French zéro; ultimately from Arabic ṣifr 'zero, nothing'

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