vussìa
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Sicilian
[edit]Alternative forms
[edit]- vossìa (italianized)
Etymology
[edit]Possibly from the same source of Portuguese você; which is from the syncope of vosmecê, elision of vossemecê, contraction of Old Galician-Portuguese vossa mercee (literally “your mercy”) (today's mercê) from Latin vostra + mercēs. Compare with Spanish usted (from vuestra merced (literally “your mercy”)), Catalan vostè, and Italian vossignoria.
Pronunciation
[edit]Pronoun
[edit]vussìa f sg (singular only)
- (formal, honorific, courtly, now dated) indefinite pronoun; Your Lordship, Your Ladyship, Your Excellency
- Synonym: vuscenza
- Vussìa vulissi n'anticchia di acqua?
- Would you like to drink some water?
- (polite, slightly ironic) you
Usage notes
[edit]- In place of the indicative present tense, this noun is typically used with the subjunctive past tense, third-person singular, to express a kind and indirect utterance.