staccare

Italian

Etymology

From an aphetic variant of distaccare (“to separate, detach”) from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French destacher (“to detach”) from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French destachier (“to detach”) from des- +‎ attachier (“to attach”), alteration of estachier (“to fasten with or to a stake, lay claim to”) from estache (“a stake”), from Low (deprecated template usage) [etyl]  *stakka (“stake”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *stakkaz, *stakkô (“stick, stake”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Indo-European *(s)teg- (“stick, stake”). Akin to Old High German stecko (“post”) (German Stecken (“stick”)), Old Saxon stekko (“stake”), Old Norse stakkr (“hay stack, heap”), Old English staca (“stake”). More at stake.

Verb

staccare (da)

1. to remove, take or take down (from)
2. to tear out (pages from a book)
3. to separate or divide
4. to unyoke or unharness (draught animals)
5. to uncouple (a train)
6. to distance or leave behind (a runner etc)
7. to knock off (work (intransitive))

Synonyms

• (to unharness): sbardare

Derived terms

• staccarsi
• staccato