azzizzari

Derived from Arabic عَزِيز (ʕazīz, “powerful; excellent; precious”). Alternatively, derived from zizzu (“elegant”).^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ad.d͡zidˈd͡za.ri/
• Hyphenation: az‧ziz‧zà‧ri

azzizzari

1. (transitive) to embellish
   • 1881, Salvatore Mamo, “Cuntu I - Lu diavulu ’ngannatu da lu viddanu [Tale 1 - The devil tricked by the peasant]”, in Li cunticeddi de me nanna‎^[1] (overall work in Sicilian), Agrigento: Tipografia E. Romito, stanza 17, page 16:

     Cc’è a azzizzari lu sidduni,
     Cc’è la casa tutta lorda,
     E cci sù li scecchi e i muli,
     Ch’’un si strigghianu iddi suli.

     The packsaddle must be ornated. The whole house is filthy. And the donkeys and mules are not going to curry themselves.

     (literally, “There is the packsaddle to ornate; there's the house all filthy; and there are donkeys and mules, which do not curry themselves.”)

2. (transitive, figurative) to put (someone) in their place
   • 1882, Serafino Amabile Guastella, “Note illustrative [Explanatory notes]”, in Vestru - Scene del popolo siciliano‎^[2] (overall work in Italian and Sicilian), Ragusa: Piccitto & Antoci editori, page 52:

     ’U sapìa ca l’ aulisi èrunu vassciuliddi r’ avanti, m’ a stu puntu ’n lu puta crìrriri nè ora nè mmai. Ccà l’arti arriva propria! Ora l’azzizzu iu tanticcedda.

     I knew people from Avola were dumb, but neither now nor ever I could've believed [they were] to this extent. There's really no going further! I'll put her in her place a little now.

• → Maltese: żżiżża

• Mortillaro, Vincenzo (1862) “azzizzari”, in Nuovo vocabolario siciliano-italiano (in Italian), page 103
• Pasqualino (c. 1790) “azzizzari”, in Vocabolario siciliano etimologico, italiano e latino (in Italian), volume 1, page 173