babbaluci

Sicilian

Alternative forms

• babbaluciu
• vavaluci, vavalucu, vavalucia, bucalaci

Etymology

From a conflation of

• babbucia, from Maghrebi Arabic بَبُّوش (babbūš, “snail”), from a Berber language. Compare Maltese bebbux (“snail”).
• buvalaci, from Ancient Greek βουβαλάκιον (boubalákion), from βούβαλος (boúbalos, “buffalo”) +‎ -άκιον (-ákion, diminutive suffix). Literally, “small buffalo”, with a semantic shift to “snail”.

An outdated folk etymology derives this from vava (“spit, saliva”) +‎ luci (“light”), because of the shining trail the animal leaves.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [babbaˈluçɪ]
• Hyphenation: bab‧ba‧lù‧ci

Noun

babbaluci m (plural babbaluci)

1. snail

   Synonyms: ruccaloru, scataddittu, vavalaggiu, lumaca, cavalaggiu, cignu, bardareddu

   scala a babbaluci ― spiral staircase (literally, “staircase like a snail”)

   babbaluci d'acqua ― marine/fluvial mollusk (literally, “water snail”)

   babbaluci cilesti ― purple storm snail (Janthina janthina)

   lu babbaluci trizzìa la tartuca ― pot calling the kettle black (literally, “the snail makes fun of the turtle”)

   • 14th century, chapter 42, in Libru di li vitii et di li virtuti, page 38, line 5:

     Quisti assimiglanu a quilli li quali non ausanu intrari in lu senteri sive violu per li babaluchi ki li mostranu li corna, et pichulilli ki non ausanu andari per via per li ocki ki cridanu.

     These like like those who don't dare to take the path or track because of the snails that show them the horns, and kids who don't dare to go because of the geese who squawk.

See also

• mammaluccu (“slug”)

References

• Traina, Antonino (1868) “babbaluci”, in Nuovo vocabolario Siciliano-Italiano [New Sicilian-Italian vocabulary] (in Italian), Liber Liber, published 2020, page 475
• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 459: “la chiocciola” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
• “babbalùcio”, in Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, supplement 2004, UTET, 2004, page 123a
• “babbaluci”, in TLIO – Tesoro della lingua italiana delle origini
• Pasqualino (c. 1790) “babbaluci”, in Vocabolario siciliano etimologico, italiano e latino (in Italian), volume 1, page 174
• Mortillaro, Vincenzo (1862) “babbaluci”, in Nuovo vocabolario siciliano-italiano (in Italian), pages 103–104