zoccolio

Italian

Etymology

From zoccolare +‎ -io (frequentative).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): ^*/d͡zok.koˈli.o/, (traditional) ^*/t͡sok.koˈli.o/
• Rhymes: -io
• Hyphenation: zoc‧co‧lì‧o

Noun

zoccolio m (plural zoccoli)

1. clatter (sound) of clogs
2. the sound of an animal's hooves
   • 1969, Indro Montanelli, “Capitolo trentatreesimo: Nerone [Thirty-third chapter: Nero]”, in Storia di Roma [History of Rome], 46th edition, Milan, published 1973, page 388:

     Atterrito, afferrò un pugnale per immergerselo nel petto, ma prima ne provò la punta e trovò che ”faceva male”. Si decise a tagliarsi la gola, quando udì uno zoccolio di cavalli fuor della porta. Ma la mano gli tremò, e fu il suo segretario Epafrodito a guidargliela sulla carotide.

     Shocked, he [Nero] grabbed a knife to plunge it into his own chest, but he first tried the tip and found that "it hurt". He decided to slit his own throat, when he heard a sound of horses' hooves from the outside. But his hand was shaking, and it was his secretary, Epaphroditus, who guided it towards his carotid.

Related terms

• zoccolo

Further reading

• zoccolio in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana