The word "pizza"

[Pinner]

Pizza is a German(ic) Word
Martin Maiden
Professor of Romance Languages
Trinity College, Oxford University

Today "pizza" is a common part of the international food vocabulary, but it is only recently that both the name and the food itself have acquired widespread international currency. Only 50 years ago, it was principally associated with southern Italy, especially Naples, and there is evidence that even within Italy the word was not widely understood until at least the 17th century. Yet "pizza" has a historical pedigree of over a thousand years. It is first recorded in a Latin text from the southern Italian town of Gaeta in 997 AD, which claims that a tenant of certain property is to give the bishop of Gaeta 'duodecim pizze', "twelve pizzas", every Christmas day, and another twelve every Easter Sunday.

There has been much debate over the origin of the word itself but evidence suggests a common origin with the English words "(to) bite" and "(a) bit". English belongs, with German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian to the family of Germanic languages, all of which are decended from a remote common ancestor called 'Proto-Germanic'.

Italy in the second half of the first millennium AD was subject to the successive domination of two Germanic-speaking peoples, the Goths, who spoke an Eastern Germanic language, Gothic, now defunct, and the Langobards, whose language belonged to the same High Germanic group as modern German. "Pizza" is thought to derive from a Langobard word similar in form to the Old High German "bizzo" or "pizzo", a word related to English 'bite' and 'bit'. This word originally meant 'mouthful' (what you obtain by 'biting'), then later 'piece of bread' (the typical content of a mouthful)'. From there the sense of a particular type of bread-baked foodstuff is only a short hop. (In modern Italian the word has assumed a further life of its own, used metaphorically to denote the circular reel used on movie projectors and also--by a rather obscure development—a 'boring person', or a 'tedious, long-winded, speech'!)

Some scholars have sensed a connection between "pizza" and "pitta", a type of flat bread widespread in south-eastern Europe. In fact, it is possible that "pitta" reflects a form "petta" or "pitta" encountered in dialects of north-eastern Italy with the same meaning as "pizza", the Gothic equivalent of the Langobard word that gave rise to pizza.

[cmsummit]

Since no one will see this except the three of us, I'll take this opportunity to propose something that will better help us "fit in" around here these days. So, if you guys are up for it, let's try something. It's a game. You start with 100 points. The object is to maintain your points. The rule is you just post stuff without thinking. If it appears to the other two that it's logical, coherent, in the RIGHT FORUM, grammatically correct, pertinent or otherwise indicating you gave it any forethought, then you lose points. 5 the first time, 10 the second, 20 the third, and so on. We're gonna be so cool.

looks like you're -5 points. nice start pal.

Burned at your own game. You're not too quick are you?

[Pinner]

meh

I'm not the one with a mouthful of moose scrotum.

[cmsummit]

meh

I'm the one with a mouthful of moose scrotum.

what's that? I can't hear you with all that meat in your mouth.

[Core Shot]

But in New Yahwk, its pronounced Pete-zer and tastes great with So-Dur.

[irul&ublo]

Pizza is a German(ic) Word
Martin Maiden
Professor of Romance Languages
Trinity College, Oxford University

Today "pizza" is a common part of the international food vocabulary, but it is only recently that both the name and the food itself have acquired widespread international currency. Only 50 years ago, it was principally associated with southern Italy, especially Naples, and there is evidence that even within Italy the word was not widely understood until at least the 17th century. Yet "pizza" has a historical pedigree of over a thousand years. It is first recorded in a Latin text from the southern Italian town of Gaeta in 997 AD, which claims that a tenant of certain property is to give the bishop of Gaeta 'duodecim pizze', "twelve pizzas", every Christmas day, and another twelve every Easter Sunday.

There has been much debate over the origin of the word itself but evidence suggests a common origin with the English words "(to) bite" and "(a) bit". English belongs, with German, Dutch, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian to the family of Germanic languages, all of which are decended from a remote common ancestor called 'Proto-Germanic'.

Italy in the second half of the first millennium AD was subject to the successive domination of two Germanic-speaking peoples, the Goths, who spoke an Eastern Germanic language, Gothic, now defunct, and the Langobards, whose language belonged to the same High Germanic group as modern German. "Pizza" is thought to derive from a Langobard word similar in form to the Old High German "bizzo" or "pizzo", a word related to English 'bite' and 'bit'. This word originally meant 'mouthful' (what you obtain by 'biting'), then later 'piece of bread' (the typical content of a mouthful)'. From there the sense of a particular type of bread-baked foodstuff is only a short hop. (In modern Italian the word has assumed a further life of its own, used metaphorically to denote the circular reel used on movie projectors and also--by a rather obscure development—a 'boring person', or a 'tedious, long-winded, speech'!)

Some scholars have sensed a connection between "pizza" and "pitta", a type of flat bread widespread in south-eastern Europe. In fact, it is possible that "pitta" reflects a form "petta" or "pitta" encountered in dialects of north-eastern Italy with the same meaning as "pizza", the Gothic equivalent of the Langobard word that gave rise to pizza.

Techtalk, Bitch.

[PacRimRider1]

Cunt dates back to before the 13th century which is part of the reason why it is such a "powerful" word. Some interesting stuff on it here . If you're interested in cunt that is.

[snowsprite]

Hmph, the word "vagina" is "more polite." Who knew?

Sprite

[Pinner]

Yeah, but calling somone a "Dumb fukking vagina," just doesn't have the same verve.

[pizza]

Oooh, a thread all about me?
I'm so happy!

[Blurred]

Hmph, the word "vagina" is "more polite." Who knew?

Sprite

Stop vaginaing up the thread Sprite!

[snowsprite]

I was friends w/ this girl when I was a little kid and her parents were full out hippies. They were all out in the open about sex and walked around naked and stuff. Also, this little girl knew the full litany of sex and all the private parts...like "bagina." (this is how a 6 yr old says it)

Theirs sure was an interesting household juxtaposed against my strict Roman Catholic one!

Sprite

[irul&ublo]

I was friends w/ this girl when I was a little kid and her parents were full out hippies. They were all out in the open about sex and walked around naked and stuff. Also, this little girl knew the full litany of sex and all the private parts...like "bagina." (this is how a 6 yr old says it)

Theirs sure was an interesting household juxtaposed against my strict Roman Catholic one!

Sprite

"bagina"? Guess mom wasn't doing her kegels.