chiotto

Italian

Alternative forms

• ciotto (central Italy)

Etymology

Perhaps from Latin plautus (“having flat feet, or wide ears”), via a southern dialect, like Neapolitan. The geminate -tt- may be due to influence of *plattus (“flat”) (whence Italian piatto and Neapolitan chiatto).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkjɔt.to/
• Rhymes: -ɔtto
• Hyphenation: chiòt‧to

Adjective

chiotto (feminine chiotta, masculine plural chiotti, feminine plural chiotte)

1. quiet, still, be it because of pressure, fear, hypocrisy, or in order to act in secret
2. (by extension) sly

   Synonym: sornione

Further reading

• chiotto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• chiotto in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
• ciotto in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication