Re: [tied] Italian "boy" - ragazzo

On 2006-09-19 19:26, Joao S. Lopes wrote:

>> From Arabian raqqas "messenger, message-boy".
> Portuguese has a similar name, rapaz, also meaning
> "boy, young man", usually seen as from Latin rapace,
> but maybe was influenced by this Arabian word.

> --- Petr Hrubis <hrubisp@...> escreveu:
>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>> Could somebody possibly help me with the etymology
>> of Italian "ragazzo", please? When did it appear in
>> Italian?

The word is regarded as obscure, but Anatoly Liberman has recently
pointed out the probable existence of a Germanic root *rag- 'fury,
excitement', hence <ragged> and various names for evil spirits, e.g.
older Eng. <ragman> 'devil', cf. OFr. rogomant, and <Ragamuffin> as one
of the Mediaeval names for the devil. Derivatives of *rag- were borrowed
to and fro between Germanic and Romance. That would make It. ragazzo a
Germanic borrowing -- the diminutive of 'devil'.

Piotr