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The definition Italian profanity ("parolacce") refers to a set of words considered blasphemous or inflammatory in the Italian language.
Italian language is considered a language with a large set of inflammatory terms and phrases, almost all of which originate from the several dialects and languages of Italy, such as the Tuscan dialect, which had a very strong influence in modern standard Italian, which is widely known to be based on Florentine language[1]. Several of these words are cognates to other Romance languages, such as Portuguese and Spanish. Profanities differ from region to region, however a number of them are diffuse enough to be more closely associated to Italian language and featured in all the more popular Italian dictionaries.
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List of profanities in Italian language
Generally speaking, the following words provide a sufficient representation of Italian profanities used universally in the whole country:
- bordello: literally meaning brothel, it is also used to describe a state of disorder, messiness. An equivalent lighter word is casino;
- cacare/cagare: verbal form of the same context of merda, meaning to shit, or to "take a dump", etc. It derives from Latin cacare, which is still widely used, especially in Central and Southern Italy. It is the equivalent of the Spanish cagar;
- cazzo (pl. cazzi): is the equivalent to
dick or
cock, also
used as an expletive. When used in compound expression, cazzo
almost always indicates a negative meaning; for instance:
- amico del cazzo, a bad friend, or che cazzo di amico, what a bad friend;
- cazzata, bullshit or a stupid action;
- cazzaro, a liar by habit;
- testa di cazzo, dickhead.
- alla cazzo di cane, doing things in a very bad/messed up way (lit. "as the dog's dick way").
- cazzuto, on the other hand, is used as a vulgar substitute for "tough" or "cool".
- fatti i cazzi tuoi, an expression to denote "mind your own business" (lit. "mind your own dicks").
- non me ne importa/frega un cazzo, is a rough way to say "I don't care", "I don't give a damn".
- The expression Col cazzo is used to violently contradict what was being discussed, like "my arse" in English ("Col cazzo che vincerete la partita!" = "You'll win the match, my arse!"). 'Sto cazzo (literally meaning This dick) is used to express admiration and/or surprise as in " - Ho vinto alla lotteria! - 'Sto cazzo!" (- I won the lottery! - Wow!). The same expression at plural, 'Sti cazzi, is often used ironically to express and exhibit lack of interest in something, like "I don't give a fuck" in English ("Abbiamo perso pure stavolta, eh? E sti cazzi!" = "So we lose again, huh? Well, I don't give a fuck!"), or like a violent negation (Se ti presto la macchina? Sti cazzi! - What about I lend you my car? Absolutely No!). The expression Grazie al cazzo (lit. Thanks to the dick) is used to address a trivial statement, as in " - Parla inglese molto bene. - Grazie al cazzo, sua madre è inglese!" ("He speaks very good English. - Not surprising, his mother's English!").
- ciolla (pl. ciolle): as cazzo, sicilian and genova form ("Eu belìn...e me bato la ciolla sullo scoglio!");
- coglione (pl. coglioni): roughly equivalent to testicle; where referred to a person, it usually means burk, twit, fool. In addition, it can be used on several phrases such as avere i coglioni (literally, to have testicles; actually, to be very courageous) or essere un coglione (to be a fool). Coglione was also featured in worldwide news when used by former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi referring to those who would not vote for him during the 2006 Italian election campaign.[2] It derives from Latin culio, pl. culiones, and is thus cognate to the Spanish cojones;
- cornuto[3]: cuckold - referring to a person whose spouse is cheating on him. Occasionally it might be coupled with the corna when saying that. It is considered a rough insult especially in Southern Italy;
- culo[4]: rough name for buttocks or anus, comparable to the English word arse. It can also mean luck. It derives from Latin culus;
- ciornia is a typical espression used in piedmont which meaning pretty pussy.
- figa/fica (Northern/ Central and Southern Italy): is the rough name for vagina, equivalent to pussy or cherry. However, it can also roughly mean sexually attractive woman. Vagina is also used, but, as in English, it is not outrageous. Figa is unique in that it has generally positive meaning (albeit vulgar), can be used as an adjective and even conjugated in masculine form: as an adjective, it is the most common translation for "cool"; as a masculine noun, figo, it indicates a "cool guy". In Lombardy, it is also used as a common interjection with no particularly rough meaning;
- fottere: equivalent to the English verb to fuck. From Latin futuere; can be used also as "fraud" or "don't take care" (me ne fotto di te - "I don't care about you)
- frocio: roughly equivalent to the English faggot, this term originated in Rome but is now widely used nationwide. Less used forms include ricchione (mainly Southern Italy, especially in the Naples area), culattone (mainly in Northern Italy), busone (common in Emilia-Romagna and also a rough synonym for lucky) and, curiously, finocchio, whose main meaning is fennel. Apparently the latter derives from the age of the Holy Inquisition in the Papal State, when fennel would be thrown on homosexuals executed by burning at the stake - in order to mitigate the stench of burned flesh;
- gnocca (pl. gnocche)[5] : typical Bolognese version of figa; is mostly conjugated in its feminine form although sometimes can be used on the masculine form. It is diffuse nationwide to refer to an attractive woman;
- inculare, which literally means "to penetrate somebody's ass" and the related term inculata or inculone which refers to the act of inculare can also be used figuratively meaning respectively "to deceive" and "fraud";
- mannaggia: a generic expression of frustration, mostly used in Southern Italy; often translated as damn, but has no direct translation. Actually, it comes from the contraction of a former utterance, mal ne aggia, which literally means "may he/she get mischief out of it". Used also in English books, such as Mario Puzo's The Fortunate Pilgrim;[6]
- merda (pl. merde) : is the equivalent to shit. It can be used in some extent as an interjection, as happens with cazzo;
- minchia: the same meaning as cazzo, it originates from Sicilian language[7], but is also used as exclamation of surprise, or even appreciation. It is used in the expression "testa di minchia", meaning dickhead. It is also featured in a song by American musician (of Sicilian descent) Frank Zappa, named Tengo na minchia tanta (I've got a dick this big). It derives from Latin mentula;
- mona: used mainly in Venice and Veneto, has a double meaning: "pussy" and, more commonly, "idiot";
- mortacci tua: used mainly in Rome, it is an insult to somebody's dead familiar members, and is the shortening of "L'anima de li mortacci tua" (lit. The soul of your bad deads). In Romanesco it's also used as an exclamation ("Ho vinto alla lotteria! - Mortacci tua!" = "I won the lottery! - Wow, you're so lucky!"). It is the cognate of Neapolitan "L'anema de chi t'è muorto" (lit. The soul of whom is dead to you) even if it has a worse insulting meaning in Naples;
- pirla, pistola: twit; they are both mainly used in Lombardy, the latter literally meaning "gun" (but it's a metaphor for "cock", hence the derogatory meaning);
- pompino: blow job (literally "a little pump"); also bocchino is used;
- puttana: from barbaric Latin putana, is roughly equivalent to the English bitch, or whore. For instance, "Figlio di puttana" = "Son of a bitch". Equivalent but more insulting forms are troia (lit. female of the pig), zoccola (lit. female of the rat) and mignotta (from "madre ignota", unknown mother), the latter mainly used in Rome. Baldracca and battona are also used;
- 'sborata: often used in Romagna, literaly is a rough way to indicate a "Cumshot" it means a very cool thing
- sborra: is equivalent to the English "cum", meaning sperm;
- scopare: literally to sweep, but used also with the meaning of to fuck. The most used term for to fuck and it is vulgar. The way to motion this is by motioning a honk with the hand.
- sega (pl. seghe): (literally "saw"); used to refer to male masturbation or a handjob; is used also to indicate a weak person (Sei una sega - You are a "sega") also with the expression fare una sega, lit. "make and handjob", in which when someon "makes an handjob" to someone other, is very more weak than him. Synonims of sega are pippa, pugnetta and the less used zaganella. A related term is segaiolo which is used as a derogatory term to indicate someone who frequently does masturbation;
- sticchio: "pussy" in Sicilian language;
- stronzo (pl. stronzi): asshole, bastard. literally it means "turd", "piece of shit";
- suca!: suck (my dick/cock); mainly used in Southern Italy, it may have Sicilian origins;
- vaffanculo: "fuck you!", "fuck off!", "bugger off!".
It's a contraction of "vai a fare in culo" (literally "go to do it in
the ass"). "Vattela a pijà 'n der culo" is the
Romanesco form for vaffanculo, while in
Northern Italy is also used "Vai a cagare" (lit. go to
shit"). Famously used by U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia in reference to his critics.
[1][2]
Profanity as blasphemy, scoff, curse and insult at deity
Profanities in the original meaning of blasphemous profanity are part of the ancient tradition of the comic cults, which laughed and scoffed at the deity.[8] In the Middle Ages Europe the most improper and sinful "oaths" where those invoking the body of the Lord and its various parts, as the Italian Pote de Christo! ("Christ's cunt"), and these were precisely the oaths most frequently used.[9]
In Italian language profanities belonging to this category are called bestemmie (singular: bestemmia), in which God, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, the Saints or the Roman Catholic Church are insulted. This category is so strong it is usually frowned upon even by people who would make casual or even regular use of the profanities above. In some areas of Italy, such as Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, blasphemy is somewhat more common. Until 1999, uttering this class of profanities in public was considered a misdemeanor in Italy (although the offenders were very rarely if ever pursued).
The most common adjectives used to insult God (Dio) are:
- porco dio[10] : Literally "God (is a) pig/filthy"; there is no meaning-equivalent in English. An expression somewhat similar, just for the frequency of its use, is goddammit.
- dio maiale: God (is a) pig.
- dio cane: God (is a) dog. In Venice and Veneto dio can (spelt this way according to local dialect) is the most common bestemmia.
- dio merda: God (is a) shit.
- dio merdoso: shitty God.
- dio boia: God (is an) executioner; roughly equivalent to bloody God. Used mainly in Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.
- dio bastardo: God (is a) bastard.
- dio Fottuto: fucked up God.
- dio stronzo: God (is a) piece of shit.
- dio schifoso: God sucks.
- dio infame: God (is) infamous.
- dio serpente: God (is a) snake.
- dio verme: God (is a) worm.
- diobestia: God (is a) beast. Used mainly in Umbria and Tuscany.
- dio lupo: God (is a) wolf.
- dio zozzo: God (is) filthy.
- dio sorcio: God (is a) rat.
- prete: God (is a) priest. Used mainly in Veneto.
- dio fa: God (is a) fake; typical of Piedmont, it originates from Dio faus, faus being the word for 'fake' in the dialect of that region.
- dio povero: God (is) poor, a somewhat lighter substitute for Dio porco
- dio poj: God (is) poor, a somewhat lighter substitute for Dio porco mostly used in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The most common adjectives used to insult Virgin Mary (Madonna) are:
- Madonna maiala: Virgin Mary (is a) pig / slob. Used mainly in Tuscany.
- Porca Madonna : Virgin Mary (is a) dirty pig / bloody Virgin Mary.
- Madonna bastarda: Virgin Mary (is a) bastard.
- Madonna troia / zoccola / mignotta / puttana: Virgin Mary (is a) slut / whore.
- Madonna avvelenata: Virgin Mary (has been) poisoned.
- Madonna bocchinara: Virgin Mary (is a) cocksucker.
- Madonna strega: Virgin Mary (is a) witch.
- Madonna schifosa: Virgin Mary sucks.
- Madonna impalata: Impaled Virgin Mary.
- Madonna infiammata: Virgin Mary (has been) flamed.
- Madonna svergognata: Virgin Mary (is) unashamed.
- Puttana la Madonna / 'sta puttana: Virgin Mary (is a) whore.
In regions where these interjections are widely used, a positive acknowledgment from the audience is given to linguistic skills such as rhyming and creativity in describing a scene or a short story[citation needed]. For example,
- Porco Dio, porca Madonna e tutti gli angeli in colonna: Literally "God (is a) pig, the Holy Mother (is a) pig and all the angels (stand) in line".
These profanities are also commonly altered to minced oaths with very slight changes in order not to appear blasphemies. For instance:
- Porco zio, using zio instead of Dio, where zio is Italian for uncle. Other similar minced oaths can be created also replacing "Dio" with a series of existent or meaningless terms like disi, diaz, dimani, dao, due, disco ecc.
- Maremma maiala, using maremma instead of Madonna, where Maremma is a seaside zone of Tuscany. Curiosly, the former is actually widely used in Tuscanian dialect, whereas the latter is seldom used.
- Porca madosca, using madosca instead of Madonna, where madosca means nothing.
Other minced oaths can be created on the fly when people begin to utter one of the above blasphemies but then choose to "correct" them in real time. The principal example is somebody beginning to say Dio can and choosing to say instead Dio cantante (God (is a) singer) or Dio canta con noi (God sing with us). Also in Marche is very common to say "Dio caro", meaning "dear God". In Tuscany, Umbria and Marche people are used to say "Dio bono" (with bono being a contraction of buono, that means good) or "Dio bonino" (same meaning, Tuscany only).
Also, it should be noted that Cristo! or Cristo santo! (used to express rage and/or disappointment), while not being a bestemmia, is commonly assumed to violate the second commandment of not making "wrongful use of the name of the Lord Thy God".