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Florio, John. Queen Anna's New World of Words: or Dictionarie of the Italian and English tongues. Melch and Bradwood, London: 1611. Graciously scanned and searchable online at: http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/florio/.

Frugoni, Chiara. A Day in a Medieval City. University of Chicago Press, Chicago: 1997. ISBN: 0-226-26635-4.

Guasti, Cesare, editor. Lettere di una gentildonna fiorentia del secolo xv ai figliuoli esuli. Written by Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi. Florence: GC Sansoni, 1877. Reprinted at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/efts/IWW/texts/htmlfiles/A0024-T001/Prima.html.

Hanke, Stephanie. "Bathing all-antica: bathrooms in Genoese villas and palaces in the sixteenth century." In Approaching the Italian Renaissance Interior: Sources, Methodologies, Debates, pp. 52-78. Edited by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim, Flora Dennis and Ann Matchette. Society for Renaissance Studies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Maden MA: 2007. ISBN: 9781405161756.

Henisch, Bridget Ann. Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society. Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park PA: 1999. ISBN: 0-271-01230-7.

Herald, Jacqueline. Renaissance Dress in Italy 1400-1500. Humanities Press, New Jersey: 1981

Kahn, Robert, editor. City Secrets: Rome. The Little Bookroom, New York: 1999. ISBN: 1-892145-04-9.

Levillain, Philippe, ed. The Papacy: an Encyclopedia, vol 2. Routledge, London: 2002. ISBN: 0-415-92230-5.

Love, Catherine E., and Michela Clari. Collins Italian Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers, Glasgow: 2006. ISBN: 978-0-00-722390-9.

Martone, Valerie and Robert. Renaissance Comic Tales of Love, Debauchery, and Revenge. Italica Press, New York: 1994. ISBN: 0-934977-31-3.

Masson, Georgina. Courtesans of the Italian Renaissance. St. Martins Press, New York: 1975. LoC: 76-11415.

Matchette, Ann. "To have and have not: the disposal of household furnishings in Florence." In Approaching the Italian Renaissance Interior: Sources, Methodologies, Debates, pp. 79-94. Edited by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim, Flora Dennis and Ann Matchette. Society for Renaissance Studies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Maden MA: 2007. ISBN: 9781405161756.

Mattox, Philip. "Domestic sacral space in the Florentine Renaissance palace." In Approaching the Italian Renaissance Interior: Sources, Methodologies, Debates, pp. 36-51. Edited by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim, Flora Dennis and Ann Matchette. Society for Renaissance Studies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Maden MA: 2007. ISBN: 9781405161756.

Morse, Margaret A. "Creating sacred space: the religious visual culture of the Renaissance Venetian casa." In Approaching the Italian Renaissance Interior: Sources, Methodologies, Debates, pp. 95-128. Edited by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim, Flora Dennis and Ann Matchette. Society for Renaissance Studies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Maden MA: 2007. ISBN: 9781405161756.

Nichols, Francis. The Marvels of Rome: Mirabilia Urbis Romae. Italica Press, New York: 1986. ISBN: 0-934977-02-X.

Origo, Iris. The Merchant of Prato: Francesco di Marco Datini 1335-1410. Nonpareil Books, Boston: 1986. ISBN: 0-87923-596-9.

Parker, Derek. Cellini: Artist, Genius, Fugitive. Sutton Publishing, Gloucestershire: 2003. ISBN: 0-7509-2957-X.

Partner, Peter. Renaissance Rome 1500-1599: Portrait of a Society. University of California Press, Berkeley: 1979. ISBN: 978-0-520-03945-2.

Redon, Odile; Francoise Sabban; Silvano Serventi. Medieval Kitchen: Recipes from France and Italy. University of Chicago Press, Chicago: 0-226-70684-2.

Ritchie, Robert. Historical Atlas of the Renaissance. Checkmark Books, New York: 2004. ISBN: 0-8160-5731-1.

Ruvoldt, Maria. "Sacred to secular, east to west: the Renaissance study and strategies of display." In Approaching the Italian Renaissance Interior: Sources, Methodologies, Debates, pp. 18-35. Edited by Marta Ajmar-Wollheim, Flora Dennis and Ann Matchette. Society for Renaissance Studies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd, Maden MA: 2007. ISBN: 9781405161756.

Scully, Terence. The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages. Boydell Press, Rochester: 2005. ISBN: 0-85115-430-1.

Scully, Terence. The Neapolitan Recipe Collection: Cuoco Napoletano. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor: 2000. ISBN: 0-472-10972-3.

Sider, Sandra. Handbook to Life in Renaissance Europe. Oxford University Press: New York, 2005. ISBN: 978-0-19-533084-7.

Stinger, Charles. The Renaissance in Rome. Indiana University Press, Bloomington IN: 1998. ISBN: 978-0-253-21208-5.

Vignali, Antonio. La Cazzaria: The Book of the Prick. Routledge, New York: 2003. ISBN: 0-415-94066-4.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ABBACO. A practical maethematics taught in Renaissance Italian schools for those students aspiring to mercantile fields. It was taught in the Italian language, not Latin. (Cohen)

ACORAMAGLIETTI. Traveling sellers of eyeglasses (Welch 53).

ACQUAIO/ACQUAI. A hugely elaborate stone basin, sometimes with running water piped to it, found in the sala principale in some homes; it usually coordinated with the fireplace (Ajmar-Wollheim 38).

ADOGATO/ADDOGATO. Particolored with broad stripes of cloth. An inventory of 1414 registers a tunic addogata with green and monachino (Herald 209).

AFFALDATO. Arranged into neat folds. Particularly from the mid-century on, garments were cut with far greater precision of tailoring, the arrangement of folds from the shoulders down being a very important factor in defining the fashionable silhouette. The letters of Galeazzo Maria Sforza of 1475 include an entry for a 'zornea de la moscharole' which was 'tuta afaldata e non da petto'; this suggests that the bodice fitted smoothly, whilst the folds came from the waist (Porro, op.cit., p. 663) (Herald 209).

AFFRAPPATORI. See FRAPPATURE.

AGHETTO/AGUGELLO. See PUNTA.

AGLIATO. A basic sauce of onions and garlic (Origo 324).

ALBARELLO. A special opaque glass jar with a fitted lid. It didn't usually have labels but was often lavishly decorated. They were traditionally used by pharmacists, but private citizens often kept them on hand for deocrative and storage purposes; they are often seen in portraits. (Ajmar-Wollheim 88, but see also the scans in this website here, and be aware they're not totally worksafe).

ALESSANDRINO. A vivid violet blue colour, achieved by dyeing the cloth with oricello, a form of lichen, before immersing it into the vagello or dye vat (Herald 209).

ALLUCCIOLATI. The sparkling loops of silver or gold which stand out above the silk velvet pile (see VELLUTO) (Herald 209).

ALTOBASSO/ALTO E BASSO. See VELLUTO (Herald 209).

ANNELAMENTO. A ritual ring-giving ceremony held in the bride's home in which the husband and the women of his parents' household give the bride new rings. Part of the extended wedding ceremonies. (Ajmar-Wollheim 110)

ANTICA. In the antique or older style, as in "comesse a l'antica" (Guasti 611). (Florio 30)

ANTICAGLIE. Antiquities, things from the classical Roman era (Welch 288).

APERTE. Open, as in clothing: maniche aperte, "open sleeves" (Herald 50).

APPICCIOLATO/PICCIOLATO. A kind of silk, generally damask, possibly with a pattern arranged in stripes or detached flowers (Herald 209).

AQUA NINFA. Florio 347 defines the "ninfa" as a water-rose, among other things, including alternate definitions of "nymph, elf, or fairie" as well as a bride or newlywed woman. Florio 23 also defines "acqua nanfa" as sweet washing water. Hence my guess that this mysterious water might be a face-wash or perfume (term given in Welch 266). Ninfa is also a village in Italy belonging to the Caetani family, abandoned more or less until the 20th century when it was turned into a gorgeous garden (http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/lazio/ninfa.html).

AQUAMANILE. A fancy shaped pitcher used to pour water over guests' hands before a feast to help them wash up (Frugoni 159).

ARMADIO. A wardrobe which was stored in the camera. (Ajmar-Wollheim 22)

ARTE DEL CAMBIO. The name of the Florentine bankers' guild (Herald 21).

AVVISI. The freelance writing done by professional writers on behalf of the princes who paid their upkeep abroad. These writers scrounged for rumors and news and wrote them all down in periodic dispatches (Cohen 141).

AZZURRO. Deep blue color (Herald 92).

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BACCALA. Dried salted codfish from Newfoundland (Cohen 226).

BACIO. A ritual kiss given between the bride's and groom's fathers when the betrothal contract is signed. (Ajmar-Wollheim 107)

BAGNO. Bathroom, usually not too large, located in a much larger bathing-house (Hanke 55). The antibagno was in front of it, built into an octagonal shape, with niches for benches or washbasins (Hanke 56). A guest disrobed in the spogliatoio; the actual tub was the bagnetto (Hanke 64).

BALDACCHINO. A silk textile, possibly originating in Baghdad (vocabolario della Crusca). Baldacchino is not registered very often as a textile used for clothing, though an inventory of 1417 records a cotta of red baldacchino, and another of 1452 lists a gamurra pavonazza with sleeves of baldacchino (Polidori Calamandrei, op.cit., p. 126). Alternatively, the word baldacchino is used for a hanging or canopy (Herald 209).

BALIA. A wet-nurse. (Cohen 186-7))

BALLATAOIO/VALLATORIUM. A covered balcony connecting different rooms on the ground floor. Sometimes there was room for a loggia covered by the building's own roof, or it might be covered by a large brick portico that supported the whole building. (Partner 187)

BALZANA/BALZA. Trimming around the hemline of a gown, e.g. jewelled ornaments around the hemline of a dress, or a border of contrasting textile or fur (Herald 210).

BALZO (F). A large headdress, rising up in a rounded form from the forehead, completely hiding the female wearer's head (the hairline having been plucked back to create an artificially high forehead). The shape of the headdress is founded on an understructure, probably of willow, which is covered by a rich textile and alternatively by false hair of white or yellow silk, or by real hair (capelli morti). The balzo then may be decorated further with ribbon or braid. The fashion of balzo is peculiar to Italy, and to the first half of the Quattrocento (Herald 210).

BAMBAGIA. A linen or cotton textile used for interfacing garments. It is invariably sold by weight, rather than the length of braccia (Herald 210).

BANCHEROTTI. Christian moneychangers, sort of like bankers but on a far smaller scale. A decidedly pejorative term for bankers; the more respectful term for small-scale money-changers was banchieri (Partner 90).

BARCHI. Extensive hunting-parks made by enormously wealthy men, especially cardinals in the church. The most famous ones were located around Viterbo and Bagni di Tivoli, and were owned by the Cardinals Raffaele Riario, Alessandro Farnese, and Ippolito II d'Este. (Stinger 21).

BARRATTERIA. A gaming-house that also sold wine. (Frugoni 90).

BASSA DANSA. A dance with a slow tempo. (Cohen 283).

BECA/BECCA (F). Probably a belt of silk to which the hose are attached. A trousseau listed in 1493 included two beche of velvet, with gold laces (G. Biagi, Due corredi nuziali fiorentini, 1320-1493, Florence, 1899).

BECCHETTO. The long hanging part of the cappuccio which is sometimes draped over the arm or shoulder, or wrapped around the neck (see CAPPUCCIO).

BELLA FIGURA. A silver object, gilt in pure gold; Pope Paul III was said to have had numerous silver objects gilded (Partner 71).

BELVEDERE. A balcony or rooftop pavilion with a great view from which wealthy people could sit and watch the world go past. They were shaded and set with large windows. The most famous of these is the one at the Vatican, which was painted with murals by Raphael's workshop. (Cohen 154)

BENDA/BINDA (F). A length of silk or linen veil used for covering, wrapping round or intertwining with the hair.

A BENEPLACITO. A sales system that allowed a seller to send the item(s) to the buyer before sale, so the potential customer could examine them at leisure and decide within a certain timeframe if she wished to buy them or not; if not, the item was returned to the seller (Welch 264).

BERETTINO. A shade of grey, verging on black, favoured by Isabella d'Este apparently because it suited her complexion extremely well, but probably also because of her Spanish origins. In other circumstances, it was sometimes worn as a colour of mourning (Herald 210).

BERRETTA (M/F). Any form of cap or hat of rounded or semi-conical shape. Usually fitting closely to the head, the berretta could be brimless, or turned up around the edges. The woman's berretta was rather like a coif (cuffia) and was often decorated with embroidery, or was made of a silk textile such as damask or satin. The man's berretta could also be made of a similar silk textile; but it was made usually of felted woollen cloth, and was frequently worn with a hat badge (fermaglio). There were some berretta of distinguishing shapes, e.g. berretta ducale or the berretta alla capitanesca (Herald 210). Berrette da nocte were for wearing in bed (Herald 153).

BIACCO/BIAOCCO. A small silver coin. 1 biacco = 4 quattrini = 16 denari. 10 biacci = 1 giulio. See also money.

BIANCHERIA. A composite term for all white linen goods, personal and otherwise, belonging to a household. Biancheria therefore covers sheets and towels, as well as shirts, kerchiefs, coifs, collars and the occasional guarnello (Herald 210).

BIANCHETTA. A kind of white cloth, possibly woollen (Herald 210).

BIGIO. A shade of grey (Herald 210).

BOCCACCINO. A modest textile of cotton or linen used for linen sleeves (M. Giuliani, op. cit.), or for simple versions of garments, e.g. the black giornea of boccaccino recorded in a trousseau of 1459 (Polidori Calamandrei, op. cit., p. 126) (Herald 210).

BOLLE. A lead seal used as certificates of quality and authenticity, used by cities' trade guilds (Welch 73).

BOMBASINA. A cheap cotton, or cotton and linen fabric, equivalent to fustian. It was regularly used for lining doublets and for interfacing. Bombasina has also been used as the name of a garment made of that fabric (Malaguzzi Valeri, op. cit., p. 225).

BORSA/BORSETTA. A purse, usually attached to the belt. Many were decorated with embroidery, sometimes with pearls or gems (Herald 210).

BORSIS VENTURA. The bag of fortune in which lottery tickets were placed to be withdrawn for prizes in games of chance (Welch 203).

BOTTEGA. An artist or craftsman's workshop (Burke 63). Plural, BOTTEGHE (Herald 68).

BOTTONI/MASPILLI. Buttons. With the advances in tailoring during the fourteenth century came the use of buttons for fastenings. Whiles being practical, buttons, like ribbons, cords and laces, became important decorative details on garments, sometimes being made of or covered with silk, or of silver or silver-gilt (Herald 210).

BRACCIA/BRACCIO. A standard unit of measurement for fabric. One braccio varied in exact size but was 58cm in Florence and 66cm in Piacenza; perhaps equivalent to the English "ell" of the time. Other measurements were used: the spanna, or "span," the palmo, or "palm," and the dito, or "finger" (Herald 12).

BRACHE/BRAGHE (M). In the fourteenth century, long balloonish versions of these were worn by laughable caricatures in the novelle related by Baccaccio and Sacchetti. As underpants, they are listed in the fifteenth century under entries for panni di gamba. More frequently, however, underpants are referred to as mutande (Herald 210). Might be of rough red material (Herald 248).

BRAGHETTA (M). Codpiece; a kind of pouch devised to hide the genitals. Braghette began to be worn at the end of the century as doublets grew shorter and shorter (Herald 211).

BREDONE. A pair of bredoni appears in the letters of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. They are probably pieces which hang down from the back of the shoulders, perhaps vestiges of fuller hanging sleeves (Herald 211).

BROCCATO. Brocade, a textile usually made of silk, in which the patterning is introduced with one or more supplementary wefts. In a true brocade, the brocading weft is confined to the area of the pattern where it is needed, and then turns back on itself at the end of a motif, i.e. the patterning weft is not carried across from selvedge to selvedge. In the fifteenth century, the term is used in this strict sense; it rarely appaers on its own as a noun, but qualifies a description of the cloth, e.g. velluto chermisi broccato d'oro e d'argento (Herald 211).

A BRODETO. A thick broth thickened with eggs or almond milk. (Scully Neapolitan 112)

BRODO. A broth of water and meat, poured over sops or bread pieces. (Scully 212)

BRUSCHINO. A shade of dark red, verging on pavonazzo often used for cioppe (Herald 211).

BUSTO/PETTO (M/F). The top part of the main body of the garment, probably referring to the area from shoulder to waist. It was becoming more and more common in the Quattrocento for garments to have the bodice and skirt cut separately (Herald 211). Also spelled buosto (Herald 50).

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CALCETTO. A light short sock of linen, providing a washable layer between the foot and the calza of wool or silk. (Herald 211)

CALDARAIO. A brazier, a maker of kettles. Also can refer to the metal itself used in making pots and pans--for example, brass (Florio 090).

CALLAINE. A kind of precious stone (Florio 090).

CALZE (M/F). Hose or stockings, usually made of woollen cloth, but also of silk. The men's calze are conveniently attached to the farsetto by means of laces and eyelets. There is no definite indication as to how the women's calze were supported, though a reference to a beca in 1493 provides a clue. Some form of harder footwear (botte, scarpe, stivali) is often worn over the calze. But when calze constitute the only layer of legwear, a piece of leather or felted wool would be attached to the sole of each foot. (Herald 211) Motley hose were sometimes called calze a divisa (Herald 109).

CALZOLAIO. A hosier or shoemaker (Florio 091). Also seen as CHALZOLARO (Welch 197).

CALZONI. Bloomers of white silk. (Ajmar-Wollheim 113).

CAMBELLOTTO/ZAMBELLOTO. Woollen cloth, probably quite hardwearing, originally made of camel's or goat's hair. A gown for wearing in the country, made of zambellotto is listed in the letters of Galeazzo Maria Sforza (Porro, op. cit., p. 129). In 1469 in Florence, it is recorded how a group of people jointly sent 'un cambellotto pavonazzo e broccatto pagonazzo e d'ariento per un paio di maniche' as a gift to a newborn cild (Strozzi, op. cit., p. 599). The exact meaning of the term is difficult to ascertain for there also in the fifteenth century examples of cambellotto of silk. (Herald 212)

CAMERA. Pl., CAMERE. A small room reserved for sleeping, where the bed was kept. Entertaining might take place in there sometimes (Cohen 160). The anticamera was an extension of the camera and was decorated more intimately and elaborately (Ajmar-Wollheim 36).

CAMICIA/CAMISA (M/F). The chemise, made usually of linen, but occasionally of cotton or silk. In the earlier part of the century, the camicia is a functional washable layer of clothing worn between the skin and the outer woollen or silk garments. However, as the Quattrocento progresses, the chemise, revealed through slits and slashes down the sleeves and the bodice, and around the neckline, becomes more decorated with embroidered bands around the collar and cuffs. There must have been regional variations also; e.g. men's shirts 'a modo di Firenze' (Strozzi, op. cit., p. 100). In later periods they might sport tassels or lace (Ajmar-Wollheim 113). (Mainly from Herald 212)

CAMICIOTTO DA BAGNO. A chemise worn when taking a bath (Herald 248).

CANTASTORIE. Story singers, street entertainers (Cohen 142).

CANTIMBANCHI. Singers who entertained on stages in streets and plazas. (Cohen 142)

CAPPA (M). A garment with sleeves, associated with the roba (Herald 212).

CAPPELLETTA/CAPPELLETTI. A private chapel (Ajmar-Wollheim 36). There were several other words denoting them, though-- cappelletini for example.

CAPPUCCIO (M). A hood, often with a rolled brim round the crown of the head, which then hangs down. It is composed of three sections: the mazzocchio, the padded rolled base; the foggia, a shorter fuller hanging end; and the becchetto, the long end which is conveniently and effectively wrapped or draped over the arm or shoulder. (Herald 212)

CAPPUCCIO (F). The women's version of the male cappucchio remains in fashion in the early years of the century. But generally, throughout the Quattrocento, the feminine cappucchio is simply the hooded part of a garment such as the mantello. (Herald 212)

CARRI. Papal processions in Rome that took place in Piazza Navona regularly to boast about various papal achievements, often done in concert with trionfi. One in April 1466 involved nymphs, Amazons, and "Ethiopians" (Stringer 240).

CASA. House, home (Ajmar-Wollheim 15), but also could mean a great or noble lineage (Ajmar-Wollheim 85). The term did not apply to a mere commoner family, however.

CASSONE/CASSONI. A large chest given to a new bride for her trousseau, typically painted with wedding and love scenes (Burke 141).

CAVATORE/CAVETORI. Excavators who looted antiques from ruin sites (Partner 94, 180). They called themselves antiquari (Partner 90).

CAZZA/CAZZARIA. A very crude term for the male reproductive organ. Plural, cazzi. Other utterly offensive terms: culi (anuses), potte (vaginas). (Vignali 33, and book, La Cazzaria)

CELESTE. A pale blue color for cloth (Herald 140).

CENA. Dinner. Desinare was a sort of brunch, and pranzo was a meal eaten in the middle of the day, perhaps another name for desinare (Cohen 168, Origo 316).

CENOGLELLO. "Little knee," the nickname of a coin made in Venice in the 1300s that depicted the Doge kneeling (Welch 82). See also money.

CESTAROLI. Market boys who were hired by the market to run purchases home for customers (Welch 217). Also seen as CESTARUOLO, from CESTA, a basket or hip-pannier (Florio 110).

CHARIVARI. A communal expression of displeasure with those who act out, like with adulterers; it'd involve disfiguring the home of the offender, or driving the wrongdoer around town or worse (Sider 302).

CHERMISI/CREMISI. Kermes. The word applies both to the dyestuff itself, the colour it makes, and woollen cloth dyed with kermes. Considered the best quality dye for reds available, yielding the greatest intensity of colour per ounce, chermisi came from the East, usually transported via Constantinople. The brilliant red dye was obtained from the dried bodies of pregnant females of the kermes shield-louse, Coccus illicis. The same insect found around the Mediterranean was also used for dyeing; it was not of such a good quality, however, and was known as grain, grana. Chermisi was used for the finest textiles. The most expensive silk velvets brocaded and decorated with a looped pile in silver and gold (broccati and allucciolati) were always dyed with kermes. In 1464, it was decreed by Pope Paul II that chermisi should be used as the cardinals' purple (purpura cardinalizia); for that had been a considerable decline in the dyeing, and therefore use, of purple murex. A statute of 1464 forbids the possession by women of Florence of more than one overgarment, cioppa or giornea, dyed with kermes. (Herald 214)

CHIAVARE. To screw, to have sex. Fairly neutral informal blunt term for sex (Cohen "Love" 34).

CHIOCCIOLA. A variety of cloak or mantello that is possibly meant to be wrapped around the body like the spiralling shell of a snail (Herald 243).

CHOMMESSA. Made up of different bits of material (Herald 244).

CIALDE. Little wafers/waffles served as treats during a banquet. (Ajmar-Wollheim 114)

CIAMBELLE. Little circular cakes sold by road vendors. (Cohen 280)

CIELO. The canopy from which bed-curtains were hung. (Ajmar-Wollheim 73)

CINTOLA/CINTURA/CINGOLA (M/F). The belt, worn by men and women, was used less as a means of drawing a gown into folds at the waist or the hips, than as an often lavish piece of ornamentation. Belts were invariably made of precious metals, sometimes incorporating jewels, and often with rosaries, strings of pearls, or metal ornaments hanging off them. Other belts, particularly those worn by women, were made of precious brocaded textiles, and finished with an enamelled or jewelled silver or gold buckle. (Herald 214) Also spelled cinto (Herald 65).

CIOPPA (M/F). A type of overgown. The word is used in Tuscany and the Naples region, and is the equivalent of pellanda (north of Italy) and the veste or sacco (Bologna and elsewhere). Towards the end of the century, the terms pellanda and sacco disappear, and are replaced by vestito, which refers to something rich and fashionable. The cioppa is a generous garment, often with long hanging sleeves, which appear in a variety of forms. It is worn by women over the gamurra; except in the case of a poor young woman who, in an impecunious state when she had to mend her gamurra, was forced to wear her cioppa directly over her chemise (camicia) (Strozzi, p. 548). In general, the longer, fuller, sweeping sleeves are worn in the north of Italy, whilst in Tuscany and the south, the sleeves of this overdress are more conservatively cut. The cioppa is often lined with fur or silk, depending on the season, the lining being turned back at the hem. Invariably, a richer or more valuable fur is used around the facings, whilst the majority of the cioppa is lined with more modest skins. (Herald 215)

CIVERI. A main dish in which onions are fried down, with liquids, spices, and meats added to cook thoroughly, then the whole mess served on bread. (Scully 213)

CIVETTINO. A fighting game played by young men. The opponents stepped on each other's foot to keep them from moving too far, and they then tried to knock each other's hat off (Herald 61).

CLAUSURA. Cloistered seclusion, as nuns lived under (Cohen "Love" 47).

COAZZONE (F). A broad plait or roll of hair, often decorated with ribbon or braiding, which hangs down the back. It is sometimes worn with a trinzale. (Herald 215)

COFFANETTO. A fancy gilded box filled with presents, given to the bride to be by her prospective husband during the engagement period. (Ajmar-Wollheim 108)

COLLARETTI/COLLARINO. A little neck-band or collar. (Florio 108)

CONFETTI. Sugar-coated whole spices eaten at the beginning and end of a meal (Redon 11).

CONTADO. The countryside around a city that the city owned and controlled; its denizens usually paid more taxes and lacked some of the legal/political protections and perks that the city-dwellers enjoyed (Burke 228).

CORDELLA/CORDELLINA. A cord, used for lacing up the opening of a garment or shoe, or for lacing in sleeves. The cordella often has a little metal point (punta/agugello) at each end, to stop it from fraying, and to assist the threading through the eyelet (maglia/maglietta). (Herald 215)

CORNA (F). Literally, horns; meaning the horned headdress which enters fashion in Italy towards the middle of the century. The style originates in the gothic north of Europe. (Herald 215)

CORNETTO. A horn that was long and flute-like with a drawn-out cone shape (http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/studiolo/studiolo7.html).

CORONARI. Rosaries (Partner 90).

COROZOSO. Colori corozosi were the colours prescribed for mourning. Many of them were worn daily as a matter of course. They were dull dark colours, shades of mulberry, blue, green and brown, as well as black. (Herald 215)

CORPETTO (M). See FARSETTO. (Herald 215)

CORREDO. The gifts given to a bride by her friends at her wedding. (Florio 125). In Ajmar-Wollheim 112, defined as her trousseau.

CORTIGIANA HONESTA. "an honest courtesan," the higher-end prostitutes who were well-to-do women who could play instruments, recite poetry, and function among upper-class men. Cortigiane alla candela were less honest courtesans, who were more for sex (Partner 99, 153).

CORTEGIANO. The "common" Italian spoken by courtiers and upper-class Italians, especially those staying in foreign courts. (Cohen 136)

COTTA (F). Probably the summer version of the gamurra, being made of silk rather than woollen cloth. Some cotte were quite elaborate, such as that which appears in 1466 in the trousseau of Nannina de'Medici which was a cotta of white damaschino brocaded in gold with flowers, with sleeves embroidered in pearls; and another cotta was of silk, with sleeves of cremisi and gold brocade (con maniche di broccato d'oro cremisi). As in the case of the gamurra, the cotta could have sleeves of a textile different from the main body of the dress. Whilst it was considered extremely informal to go out wearing a gamurra and nothing over it, the cotta could be worn alone on quite formal occasions in summer. The relative fullness of the cotta as compared with the gamurra is difficult to determine. Marco Parenti noted in 1465 that 18 braccia were sufficient to make a cotta of zetani vellutato di chermisi for his wife (Strozzi, p. 445). Because silk has less give than wool, silk garments probably needed to be cut more generously than woollen ones. (Herald 215)

COTTIMISTI. Workers who were based out of their own homes, as opposed to maestri based out of botteghe (Herald 86).

CREMISI. See CHERMISI. (Herald 215)

CUFFIA/SCUFFIA (M/F). A coif, i.e. a close-fitting cap or bonnet, sometimes covering the ears and with ties which pass under the chin. It may be made of linen, in which case it is either worn under other kinds of headgear, or worn alone at night. (Herald 215)

CUGOLO. Rounded in shape, used in reference to gemstones (Herald 178).

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DAMASCHINO. Damask, a monochrome figured textile with a ground of satin (warp-faced) and a pattern in sateen (weft-faced). The origins of this textile are commonly ascribed to Damascus. (Herald 215)

DAMIGELLE. Maidservants (Cohen "Love" 20).

DAZIERE. A "tax farmer" who bought the right to collect taxes on a certain thing, like a type of food, in return for an up-front payment to the city; he was then responsible for getting the taxes paid (Welch 76).

DESCO DA PARTO. A "childbirth tray," a covered dish and tray set used to bring a new mother food right after the delivery. The dishes were lavishly painted with scenes of children and allegories. (Ajmar-Wollheim 125)

DISABITATO. The vast stretches of Rome inside the Aurelian walls that were not inhabited. Two villages inside the walls clustered around Santa Maria Maggiore and around Saint John Lateran. They were surrounded by abandoned areas, vineyards, farms, and pastures. (Stinger 75, Hall 59)

A DIVISA/DIVISATO. Parti-coloured. The hose (calze) are often worn mi-parti, sometimes as fashion, sometimes as part of a livery. (Herald 215)

ALLA DOGALINA. A description of sleeves, which, like those worn by the Doge and the highest-ranking Venetian officials, are wide all the way down. (Herald)

DOMUMDUCTIO. The ceremony that formally transferred the bride from her family home to her new husband's. (Ajmar-Wollheim 112)

DONNA DI CASA. The lady of the house, the matron married to the master of the household, whoever that was. (Ajmar-Wollheim 112)

DOPPIA. A doubling or folding of fabric. A copy or transcript of any writing. The lining of any garment. A foil set under gemstones. (Florio 176). Self-lined or double thickness (Herald 243). Contrast with scempio.

DOSSI. Skins of fur from the back of an animal (Herald 215). Florio adds that it is also a kind of northern beast that bore a rich fur (Florio 176). Contrast with pancie.

DRAGEE. A candy eaten at the end of a meal (Scully 149). The cask that held them was the drageoire (Scully 131). Sometimes fruits were candied, but often the dragees were candied ginger or pine-nuts (Scully 129). The treats might be called treggea in parts of Italy (Redon 7).

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ENTRATURA. The deposit paid by a renter to the owner of the property before moving into it (Welch 141).

ERMELLINI. Ermine, a highly prized fur, rarely used to line an undergarment throughout, but rather reserved for areas -- necklines, sleeves, and hems -- where it will be shown off. All references to this and other furs are made in the plural, thus not merely indicating the type of fur, but the fact that many skins must be used to make up a substantial area of fur (Herald 215).

ESCABECHE. Meat cooked in an acidic marinade with onions. Fish could be jellied in this manner and thus preserved for feast ays. (Redon 84)

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FAINE. Polecat skins, less expensive than marten (Herald 245).

FALDIA (F). An underskirt of linen held out by means of horizontal bands padded with cotton wool or linen fibre. The fashion appears in the latter part of the century. (Herald 216)

FAMIGLIA. The various close attendants and servants in a household (Cohen 57, Partner 117) One book refers to these people as familiares (Whitlock 164).

FANTE. A "jack" or general servant; one household used a fante to do the shopping (Welch 224).

FARSETTAIO. A tailor who made doublets of all kinds (Herald 53).

FARSETTINO (F). Related to the farsetto, doublet, of men's dress. A farsettino da donna with 16 silver buttons appears in the inventory of Riccardo del Bene of 1411. It was probably a kind of undergarment, the buttons of which would show, its collar rising above the neckline of the fuller garments worn on top. (Polidori Calamandrei, p. 128.) (Herald 216)

FARSETTO (M). The generic term for a man's doublet, which is also known by the names corpetto, guibetto, zuparello, and zupone (guibbone). This type of garment is made by a professional farsettaio. The doublet is a close-fitting garment, stuffed and quilted. It has a low-standing collar and usually sleeves. Worn over the shirt, and beneath a tunic and/or other forms of overgarment, the farsetto offers warmth and protection, and defines the outlines of the torso, finishing around the hipline. The shape of the doublet varies from one decade to the next, depending on the fashionable silhouette. In the earlier Quattrocento, the doublet is nearly always hidden by some form of tunic or gown, the exception being for sporting activities. Later in the century, as clothes worn by the fashionable young become more and more revealing, the doublet is shortened and is generally much more in evidence, worn with a loose cloak or gown as opposed to a closed tunic with sleeves. It has been suggested by Levi Pisetzky that some form of doublet (the corpetto, giobetto, zuparello) were meant to show, whereas others (the farsetto, zupone) were always concealed. It is the richness of the textile from which the doublet is made which indicates the nature of the occasion for which it is worn, and implies the degree to which the garment is to be shown off. (Herald 216)

FAZZOLETTO. A kerchief had various uses. Worn by women, the fine silk or linen fazzoletti were tucked into or worn over the lower necklines of their dresses (Herald 216). Also detailed in Ajmar-Wollheim 113.

FEDE. Fidelity; the name lent itself to a ritual ring gift given between engaged couples. A fede ring usually was shaped like clasped hands which were thought to symbolize devotion. (To me they look a bit like claddaghs.) (Ajmar-Wollheim 110)

FERMAGLIO. A brooch or hat badge, also known as a brochetta or medaglio depending on its form and use. A versatile piece of jewelry worn on the shoulder, on a headdress, the sleeve, or the bodice of a garment. Invariably made on a large scale, the fermaglio was effective from a distance. Some brooches bore figures or emblems in relief, sometimes with heraldic significance. (Herald 216)

FIDEIUSSORES. Guarantors of a debt; if the debtor failed to pay up, the guarantor was forced to do so. The term originates from early 1400s Florence (Welch 90).

FIDUCIA. Trust, faith, confidence (Florio 201). A term used in relation to shopping (Welch 70).

FILETTO. The very edge of a border or hem, which was sometimes trimmed with narrow strips of fur. A Florentine sumptuary legislation of 1471 allowed women's veste to have filetti, garzi, or orzi of fur. (C Mazzi, Provvisioni suntuarie fiorentine, 29 novembre 1464, 29 febbraio 1471, Florence, 1908, p. 10.) (Herald 216)

FINESTRELLA. The opening at the front of the elbow of a sleeve, through which the arm passes, leaving the remainder of the sleeve to hang down independently. The contrast is shown between the textile of the main body of the overgarment and the upper part of the sleeve, and the lower arm, which reveals the textile of the closer-fitting sleeves attached to the layer of clothing beneath. Sometimes, if the sleeves of the overgarment are detachable, those sleeves hang loosely direct from the shoulder. (Herald 216)

FODORE/FODORA. A lining of any sort. Can also mean a sheath or scabbard. (Florio 191).

FOGGIA. Part of the male cappuccio. (Herald 216)

FORBICE. Scissors, shears. FORBICINI, little shears. (Florio 192).

FORTUNA DI MARE. "The fortune of the sea," meaning the very changeable and sometimes fickle nature of luck -- because it could go from good to bad to back in a matter of moments. The intelligent man made himself into a sail to take advantage of the changing winds of fortune. (Burke 187)

FRAPPATURE/FRASTAGLI. Dagged hems, i.e. edges of cloth which have been decoratively cut into scallops, leafy shapes, or some other kind fo pattern. A feature of both masculine and feminine dress, the frappature may be an eccentricity, criticized by moralists; but they are a sign of a sophisticated culture and indulgent lifestyle. Once dead as a fashion, vestiges of dagging and fringing are sometimes found worn as livery by young men and commonly by fools and jesters. (Herald 216)

FRASTAGLI. Fringes used in trimming clothes (Herald 65).

FRENELLO (F). A hair ornament -- a string of pearls, which is entwined around the twists of real and false hair and fine silk veil. (Herald 217)

FUNE. Rope (Cohen "Love" 46).

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GABBANO (M). A heavy cape with sleeves, used especially for protection against bad weather, but also as an elegant overgarment. (Herald 217)

GABELLA. A custom or toll (Florio 216). From one art source, it may also refer to a workshop--the libro delle gabelle of 1350 seen in Welch 42).

GAMURRA/CAMMURA/CAMORA (F). The Tuscan term for the simple dress worn directly over the woman's chemise (camicia). In the north of Italy, it is known by the terms zupa, zipa or socha. The gamurra is worn by women of all classes. It is both functional and informal, being worn on its own at home, and covered by some form of overgarment such as the cioppa, mantello, pellanda or vestimento out-of-doors or on a more formal occasion. Following the contour of the body, it is usually unlined, and made of wool or occasionally silk. Earlier in the century, the sleeves are attached; but later they are more commonly separate, and often of a different, richer textile. (Herald 217)

GARANZA. An alternative term for robbia, madder, a dyestuff obtained from the roots of the madder plant Rubia tinctorum. Like all red dyes, it produces a range of red through to purples and black, depending on the mordant used and whether it was under- or over-dyed with a different color (notably blue or yellow). (Herald 217)

GARZONI. The shopboys of a bottega regardless of age. (Burke 63)

GHELERO. A type of garment frequently mentioned in the letters of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. It must have been an overgarment, because there are several examples lined with fur; and it did have detachable sleeves, for three pairs were ordered for a ghelero at the court of Galeazzo Maria Sforza (Porro, p. 642). (Herald 217)

GHIRLANDA/GRILLANDA (F). Literally, a garland, which is worn as a headdress by women. It often takes the form of a padded roll, covered with some elaborate textile. Garlands of flowers or grass are worn by the young innocent beauties of whom the poets sing. Sometimes the ghirlanda is covered with gems or with feathers. A decree published in Siena in 1412 forbade all embroidery and pearls, except for a grillanda on the head worth a maximum of 25 gold florins (Giuliani). (Herald 217)

GIACCA. A jacket, likely an overgarment with sleeves that opens down the front; its diminuitive is giachetta (Herald 243).

GIORNATE. Days of work, a measurement of a field's size used rather than acres or other size denotations. (Cohen 149)

GIORNEA (F). An overdress, open in front and down the sides, to allow the textile of the cotta worn underneath to show through. The giornea is quite often longer at the back of the hem, offering a sweeping profile in movement. It may or may not have detached sleeves. It is a summer garment, worn more often in Florence than further north, where the pellanda, with open or closed long sleeves, is more suitable for most of the year. Sometimes, however, the giornea is lined with fur, in which case it may be worn during the cooler months. It appears to be a garment normally worn by the young. In a law of 1456, the giornea is associated with the cioppa, both being garments worn directly over the cotta. It was stated that women were allowed up to two silk overgarments -- to be worn at separate times -- one for winter, the other for summer. It could be a cioppa, or a giornea, whichever was preferred, with one cotta for wearing underneath (Polidori Calamandrei, p. 44). (Herald 218)

GIORNEA (M). An open-sided overgarment which, as with the women's version, takes the place of the fourteenth-century guarnacca. But it is shorter than the guarnacca, and is sometimes worn in a military context. It is worn directly over the farsetto or zupone. San Barnardino despised the giornea, likening it to a horsecloth trimmed with fringes down the sides and about the hem. The giornea often bears embroidered devices, such as the three zornee de raxo cremisino, embroidered with beautiful pearls and the symbol of a cloth, suggested by Ludovico il Moro. (Herald 218)

GIOBETTO (M). See FARSETTO. (Herald 218)

GIRELLO. A baby's walker, sometimes wheeled, very similar to modern ones. Sometimes babies wore harnesses in them, or even little bitty helmets of cotton or silk strips (Ajmar-Wollheim 140).

A GOMITO (M/F). A form of sleeve, bulbous in shape, but narrow at the wrist. (Herald 218)

GONNELLA/GONNA/SOTTANA (F). The fourteenth-century term for the fifteenth-century gamurra. (Herald 218)

GONNELLA (M). The fourteenth-century version of the veste or vestito, and in the fifteenth century, a relatively short form of gown worn by men. The gonnellino is a shorter version still, worn by younger men. (Herald 218)

GORGERONE (M). The part of a suit of armor which protects the neck and shoulders. (Herald 218)

GORGIERE (F). The equivalent of the French gorgerette; it is a silk or linen veil which covers the neck. (Herald 220)

A GOZZO (M/F). Likened to a bird's crop, the sleeves described in this way are of a bulbous shape, fitting closely at the wrists. A common form of sleeve at the beginning of the century, by 1446 gozzo was so widely accepted that it alone came to describe a long sleeve; thus Lorenzo Strozzi's description of cioppe with gozzi a trombe -- the word maniche is understood (Strozzi, p. 29). (Herald 220)

GRANA. Grain, the red dye obtained from the kermes (see CHERMISI) found around the Mediterranean. It was cheaper, being inferior to the chermisi imported from the East. As with other red dyes, grana was used as the basis of many colours and shades ranging from pink and scarlet reds through to purples and blacks. (Herald 220)

GRAZIA. Grace, not only physical but the dignity that comes through practice. (Burke 202)

GRIGIO. As a colour, it means grey. however, as in English, the word is also used to denote 'grey' cloth, i.e. untreated cloth. (Herald 220)

GUALESCIO. A plain fabric, probably of silk, invariably used for lining, e.g. Marco Parenti's wife's cotta of zetano vellutato was lined with red gualescio (Strozzi, p. 445). In a sumptuary law published in Siena in 1412, it was stated that sleeves could be lined modestly with gualescio or panno lino, bocchaccino, or taffeta (Giuliani, p. x). In the Pucci inventory are listed horsecloths of gualescio, as well as men's sopravesti for riding. (Herald)

GUANTI (M/F). Gloves. In the second half of the century, guanti di camoscio (chamois leather) are quite frequently mentioned. Galeazzo Maria Sforza ordered a pair for dancing, lined in scarlet. The gloves made in Milan were quite highly prized in othercities. (Herald 220)

GUARDACORE (M/F). Possibly worn as a nightshirt, for the young Isabella d'Este possessed 'uno guardacore overo camisia da portare la nocte' of rosato cloth (Levi Pisetzky, La Storia del Costume, op cit, p. 285). The 1445-6 registers of the Court of Ferrara note that the Marquis Leonello ordered two braccia of cetanino (zetanino) raso crimisino to have a guardicore made for wearing in bed. (Herald 220)

GUARNACCA (F). The term continues to be used in the fifteenth century, but is more commonly called a giornea. A statute issued in Perugia in 1445 permitted a guarnacca as part of a bride's outfit, provided that its value did not exceed 30 florins, and that if it were made of velvet or silk, it was not decorated with embroidery. (Herald 220)

A GUARNAZZONE. A style of full sweeping sleeve found on male and female overgarments similar to those like wings (ad ale). This type of sleeve was worn by Bianca Maria Sforza for her wedding celebrations in 1493. (Herald 220)

GUARNELLO (M/F). Both a kind of linen or cotton textile, and the feminine garment constructed from such a fabric. The guarnello probably has the same significance as a rascia. It is a simple, reasonably loose-fitting dress, similar to the cotta, but sometimes worn without sleeves. Guarnello, being cotton or linen, may be registered in inventories with the rest of the biancheria--chemises (camicie), towels and kerchiefs. The guarnello, rascia or saia is the standard form of dress for angels. It is worn by children as a simple, washable garment, and possibly also by pregnant women. There are also examples of guarnelli listed under items of male clothing. (Herald 220)

GUAZZERONE. A border of a hemline, sometimes made from a contrasting fabric. (Herald 220)

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IMPALMAMENTO. The ritual handshake done over a betrothal contract. (Ajmar-Wollheim 107)

IMPERATORE: "Emperor." Other titles of interest: principe (prince), granduca (Grand Duke), duca (duke, or in Venice doge; fem. duchessa), conte/contessa (count/countess), marchese (Marquis), cavagliere (knight, cavalier), gentilhuomo (gentleman, a titled man), gentildonna (titled lady), signore/signora (lord/lady; God was called Signore). In Venice, titles weren't used at all; patricians were called clarissimi or magnifici (Cohen 76-77).

IMPRESA. A 16th-century term for badges and devices (Herald 187).

INCIANNOMATI. Light blue colored (Herald 92).

INDISIA. A type of lining material, possibly of wool. (Herald 220)

INFERRIATO/A INFERRIATA. See VELLUTO. (Herald 220)

INTARSIA. A wood inlay art made like a mosaic, with many differently-colored bits of wood making a pattern or picture. It was considered a very noble form of woodworking and used extensively by the nobility and church. (Ajmar-Wollheim 14, Partner 152)

INVOLLITOI. Cover-ups worn by children to protect their nicer clothes; probably resembles a giornea, open down the sides (Herald 248).

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LACCA. Lacquer, a resinous substance born from the branches of some trees in the Euphorbia family through the activity of certain parasites. It was imported from India and Indo-China. As a red dye, it was rather precious, and appears to have been used infrequently. (Herald 220)

LANI. Woolen cloth (Herald 57).

LATTIZI/LATTITIO. A sort of musk or civet-cat. Used for linings. (Florio 278).

LENZA. A ribbon or braid tied round the crown of the head, and often decorated with a jewel over the forehead. (Example: Leonardo's La Bella Ferroniere.) (Herald 22)

LEONATO. In the style of a lion, a tawny color (Florio 296).

LETTIERA. The main bed in the camera. (Ajmar-Wollheim 112)

LETTUCCIO/LETTUCI. A day-bed with a high back, usually in the camera near the real bed (Ajmar-Wollheim 40). The pegs in the upper back were used for hanging things and called cappellinaio (Ajmar-Wollheim 122).

LIBBRA. A pound, measurement of weight. (Cohen 266)

LIRA. An amount of money equal to the worth of a pound, or libbra, of silver. See MONEY. (Cohen 266)

LISSIA. The big laundry days, especially in the wealthier households. Laundry might take weeks to finish. (Ajmar-Wollheim 156)

LISTA. A strip of cloth applied to a garment to give a bold striped effect, such as is found on the dress worn by Beatrice d'Este in the Pala Sforzesca. (Herald 222)

LOGGIA. A wide, covered archway with arches open to the outdoors, sometimes leading to gardens. Upstairs loggia were used to hang the washing from, or women might sit at them to watch the world go by and possibly flirt with strangers passing beneath (Cohen 159).

LUCCO (M/F). A form of long gown worn in Florence, initially as part of official or academic dress, and subsequently in a more general context. It was open in front and fastened at the neck; it also had slits at the sides to allow the arms to pass through. (Herald 222)

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MAESTRO DI CASA. The head of the papal household (Partner 121). In other households, the maestro di casa managed when the majordomo was gone (Ajmar-Wollheim 150).

MAGISTRI STRATARUM/MAESTRI DI STRADA. The officials in charge of the Roman streets and public works, who had to keep the streets as clear as possible, enforce building codes, and levy fines. (Partner 166)

MAGLIA/MAGLIETTA. A metal eyelet or little loop through which laces are threaded, sometimes made of silver or silver-gilt. (Herald 222)

MALMARITATE. Unhappily married women who'd fled their marriages and who found refuge in some convents such as Santa Caterina dei Funari (Cohen "Love" 47).

MANEGHETTI. Protective shoulder or hip pieces on an armored doublet. (Herald 231).

MANICHE. Sleeves come in all forms of shape and construction. Although the sleeves of overgarments are sometimes short, or hanging open, the arm is always covered to the wrist. Even peasant women working in the fields had to respect this rule of modesty. During the early decades of the century, the sermons of San Bernardino and the sumptuary legistlations passed by the local government reflect disapproval of the devilishly monstrous sizes of sleeves, in an attempt to check the width of the hemlines. The sleeves of overgarments are invariably ample and long; whilst those of the clothes worn beneath ( gamurra, farsetto, cotto, gonnella) fit the arm more closely. In the first half of the Quattrocento, the cut of the sleeve, like the cut of the rest of the garment, becomes more sophisticated; instead of being cut in one piece from shoulder to wrist or to helmline, the sleeve is much more finely tailored once the upper (often slightly gathered) and lower sleeves are joined at the elbow (see DOGALINA, FINESTRELLA, GOZZO, GOMITO, GUARNAZZONE.) (Herald 222)

MANTELLO (M/F). Traditionally, a practical cloak worn over all clothes for warmth and protection against inclement weather, especially when traveling. It is draped over the shoulders and, in the case of the elderly and bereaved women, over the head. San Bernardino (op cit) alluded to the volume and drape of the mantello in describing the vast size of the sleeves of the ladies' cioppe: "You could say that the cioppa has one mantello on each side." Because of its simple shape, and since it is both a practical and a classless garment, the mantello is often used as a convenient theatrical prop for figures in paintings. The Madonna nearly always wears a mantello over a gamurra; it is significant that she often covers her head with a cloak -- a sober gesture -- being the prerogative of widows and older women. Saints, too, are invariably donned with mantelli; their appearance is thus related very closely to that of pilgrims. Although the cut and construction of the basic mantello barely changes, fashion demands that it be worn in different ways, e.g. turned back over the shoulder, or fastened over one shoulder instead of under the chin. (Herald 222)

MARESCALCO. The marshall of a camp, town, or house. Also a farrier or horsesmith (Florio 316). This was also the name of a play by Pietro Aretino in 1526-7 involving an attempt to marry off a misogynistic courtier (Welch 41).

MARTELLO. The "hammer" of love, a sickness that might be brought on by love magic (Cohen 250).

MARTORE. Marten fur (Herald 50).

MASPILLI. See BOTTONI. (Herald 223)

MASSARA. The senior female servant of a household (Cohen "Love" 20). The head male servant was the massaro (Cohen "Love" 28).

MATTINA. Morning. Night, SERA. (Cohen 168)

MAZZOCCHIO (M/F). A stuffed roll covered with fabric which is worn on the head. It forms the basis of the men's cappuccio, being the part of the hood which fits round the crown. By women, the mazzocchio is pinned to the hair, giving slight height and a rounded shape to the veil worn on top. The mazzocchio continued to be worn by veiled older women long after new taller fashions in headdresses had been introduced to the fashionable younger women. (Herald 223)

MERCANTI DI RIPA. Wine-sellers in Roman parlance. The name comes from the port called Ripa on the Aventine Hill in Rome. Sensali di Ripa were the retail distributors of wine, also based out of Ripa (Scully 147). Wine-sellers also tended to sell DRAGEES (Scully 149)

MERCANZIA. A general word for trade (Welch 33).

MERETRICE. A prostitute, whore (Welch 33).

MESSER/MADONNA. A prosperous professional man or woman. These were lesser titles of respect than signore/signora, but still respectful. Specific professional titles: maestro (owner of an artisanal shop), dottore (holder of a university doctorate degree), colonello/capitano (military commander), monsignore (high clergyman), padre/don (priest), fra/suor (friar/nun) (Cohen 77). See also: Titles of Position.

MEZZANO. A troubadour who wrote love poetry for a fee and acted as the go-between for courtesans and their suitors. (Masson 27)

MISERICORDIA. Christian pity and mercy, evoked by those who've done something horribly wrong but want to be spared the penalty they deserve. (Cohen 105)

MOGGIA. A cartload (Partner 85).

MONACHINO. A shade of brown with a reddish tint. It is a modest colour, occasionally worn in mourning or by widows; it is also used quite generally for a functional garment not of great value. (Herald 223)

MONEY: Lira were the usual amounts of coins, but there were a variety of other coins as well. Here are the breakdowns: Gold scudo d'oro in oro, worth about what the previous ducat or florin was worth. 1 pound sterling roughly equal to 3 ducats. A ducat was made of 24-carat gold and weighed 3.386 grams. The scudo, issued in 1530, was of 22 carats and weighed 3.094 grams. (Partner 72)

There was an old coin called a carlini, with an official value at 10:1 ducat but whose real value was 13.5:1. It was replaced in 1504 by Julius II by the giulii which was 10:1, and which weighed 3.338 grams rather than 3.634 grams (before 1532). Another silver coin was the baiocco, also very debased after the Sack of Rome.

Also: (from Black 286). 1 ducato = 100 baiocchi.
1 scudo = 80-110 baiocchi depending on type.
1 baiocco = 4 quattrini = 16 denari. 1 paolo = 1 giulio = 10 baiocchi.
10 florini = 6 scudi 25 baiocchi. 1 giulio = 9.5 baiocchi in 1504, and 10 baiocchi in 1519.
1 grosso = 1/2 giulio, from the 1540s. 1 ducato di camera = 1.09 scudi di'oro in oro.
1 scudo d'oro in oro = 1.2 scudi di moneta (silver) di 10 giuli in 1592, OR 1.3 scudi di moneta di 10 diuli in 1619.

In some areas, the ducat was called a lira, which was worth 20 soldi.
1 soldo was in turn worth 12 denari.
4 denari = 1 quattrino. 1 testone = 1/4 a scudo or 36 quattrini
(Herald 11).

Plenty of areas used the above, which is the same measurement system Charlemagne had created and which was used by England till 1971. (Herald 11).

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MONGILE/MONGINO/MONZINO (M/F). A form of cloak with sleeves, possibly of monastic origin, which may have originated in Spain. It is worn open in front, and logn to the ground. Between 1478 and 1485, 40 are listed in the wardrobe of Leonora of Aragon, some described as 'ala moresca' (in the Moorish style), many without sleeves attached. (Herald 223)

MORELLO. Literally, mulberry-coloured. It is equated in treatises on dyeing and painting with pavonazzo. A red dye formed the basis of morello and pavonazzo, the resulting quality being dependent on the type of dye used (chermisi, grana, garanza or verzino). Being a dark shade, morello is one of the colori corozosi worn by widows and those in mourning. It is also commonly worn for everyday civic dress. (Herald 223)

MORMORINA. Mourning colors, as in: "gamurra mormorina" (Guasti 610). (Florio 322) See also Corozoso (Herald).

MORRA. A simple little bar game like rock/paper/scissors in which players tried to guess how many fingers the opponent would extend. (Cohen 291)

MOSTRE. Samples of something, such as things desired for purchase (Welch 264). Also given as something unnatural, a strange sight, something to gawk at (Florio 339).

MUTANDE (M). Underpants, confused with brache at the beginning of the century, listed amongst the biancheria relating to men's attire. However, there are no known documented examples of mutande to be worn by women. (Herald 224)

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NASTRO/NASTRI. Any sort of fine silk ribbon. Can be loose, or made up into fine knots, roses, or devices made of silk ribbons as women use to wear upon their heads and about them. Also the name of a sign or star in heaven, also the part of the ring where the stone is set or the seal engraved. (Florio 328)

NERO. Black, a mourning color, as in "gamurra nero" (Guasti 610). (Florio 331) See also corozoso.

NOVI DI BANCO. News from the marketplace (Welch 32).

NUOVA. New, as in "gamurra di rascia nera, nuova" (Guasti 610). Bear in mind that a gown was considered "new" for several years according to sumptuary law. (Florio 336)

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ONORE. The nobility, in their eyes the only social group that could feel a sense of honor (Herald 23).

OPERE. Labors, a measurement of the size of woods and vineyards. (Cohen 149)

OPERATI. Fabrics of complex patterns, colors, and motifs (Herald 84). Contrast with uniti fabrics.

ORICELLO. A type of lichen used especially in the creation of Alessandrino dye, an intense and vivid violet color (Herald 92).

ORLO. The hem of a garment. Corazza in his Florentine diary recorded on 12 November 1435 the boys of a brigata wearing fur-lined tunics with the hems turned back on the outside (con l'orlo di fuori) by a third of a braccio (see also FILETTI). (Herald 224)

ORTOLANE. Those peasant women who farmed in the city itself or within a few miles of the city and then sold their goods at market; they were distinct from trecche, who were little more than whores in most people's minds (Welch 36). Spelled also as HORTOLANA (Welch 53).

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PAIA/PAIO. A pair of something, as in "3 paia di calze" (Guasti 611). (Florio 365)

PAGONAZZO. Adj, "purple" (Florio 350).

PALAZZO/PALAZZI. A grand palace built within the city walls. (Ajmar-Wollheim 77)

PALIARII. Straw-sellers in Rome's St. Peter's Square. Pilgrims bought straw to sleep on if they couldn't afford an inn room. In 1501, there were some 41 paliarii in Rome (Partner 88, Stinger 31).

PALLA MAGLIA. A croquet-like game played with mallets and balls, either near churches in plazas, or at the Colosseum (one such game is recorded in 1572). (Cohen 271)

PALLONE. A violent football-type game played with shielded arms. (Cohen 290)

PANCIE. Skins of fur from the underside of the animal's belly, which are of finer quality than those from the back (dossi). (Herald 224)

PANERUZZO/PANERUZZOLE. A bundle of clothes or linens. (Florio 354).

PANNICELLI. Cloths of linen, usually worn by women over the head and/or shoulders. (Herald 224)

PANNI. All manner of clothing, raiment, or apparel, be it woollen or linen. (Florio 354).

PARAGON. An anonymous viewing of goods for sale sponsored by the relevant guild, done in Venice for extremely high-end customers; the guild would guarantee the product, which was presented anonymously so that the manufacturer was unknown to the seller (Welch 124).

PASQUINO. A "talking statue" in the Piazza Navona; his companion was MARFORIO. People would paste "pasquinades" to the statues which were satirical or political poems. Detailed in Masson 141, Partner 202, and Cohen 134.

PASSATEMPO (F). A short cloak, open at the sides, rather like some giornee. (Herald 224)

PAVAN. A quick-tempo'd dance similar to a galliard with fast walking-step patterns followed by a sciolta and galliard variations; a very old style of dance tracked to the early 1500s at least (Sutton 37). The pavaniglia was a variation on this dance (Sutton 158).

PAVONAZZO/PAONAZZO/PAGONAZZO. Literally, peacock-coloured. However, it does not mean peacock-blue or -green, but rather relates to the color of the peahen -- a brownish tint of red. Red dye forms the basis of pavonazzo, the quality of which depends on the type of dye used, whether it be cremisi or grano. (Herald 224)

PEDULE. The protective sole attached to the bottom of each calza -- necessary when shoes or boots were not worn over the hose. (Herald 224) Plural, PEDULI. Linen socks worn on feet, but also the specific part of hose that covers the feet. (Florio 364)

PELLANDA/OPELANDA (F). The word used in the north of Italy to denote an overdress; it is related to the houppelande of northern Europe. It is the equivalent of the Florentine cioppa (see CIOPPA). (Herald 224)

PELLANDA (M). An ample overgarment, opening down the front, fur-lined, with full sleeves often cut into decorative hemlines (see FRAPPATURE). Towards the end of the century, the term pellanda dies out, and is replaced by the equivalent roba. (Herald 224)

PELO DI LIONE. A tawny yellow colour, resembling that of a lion's skin. (Herald 224)

PEPOLESE. Double-shilling coins issued in 1338 by Lord Teddeo Pepoli, who ruled Bologn (Welch 82).

PERPIGNANO. A low-grade wool cloth originating from Perpignan; an inventory from 1424 has it being used for the soles of a pair of hose (Herald 243).

PIANELLA. A form of shoe with a leather sole built up into a wedge, the foot being covered with a strap or band of silk textile. At its lowest, the pianella resembles a simple slipper or mule; however, it could also reach uncomfortable heights, for in 1480 in Venice the sole measured the equivalent of about half a metre (Molmenti, op.cit., p. 262). The fashion for tall pianelle was not just a Venetian one; for on his journey from Milan to Genoa in 1480 the Florentine Giovanni Ridolfi, commented with surprise on the Genoese women going about with no, or at least very low pianelle (senza pianelle o basse basse). (Levi Pisetzky, La Storia del Costume, op.cit., p. 219.) (Herald 224)

PIANO NOBILE. The "noble floor," usually the third floor up. The palazzo owners lived and received guests there. (Cohen 159)

PIAZZA/PIAZZE. Plaza/plazas.

PIGNORE. Pawn. When something was pawned, it was said to be in pignore and recorded appropriately in ricordanze. (Ajmar-Wollheim 72-3)

PINTACOLO. A magical chart ("The Magazine of Science" 210).

PITALE. Chamberpot. Usually of cheap material like terra-cotta, somewhat tall so it can be sat upon in the normal way, with two handles near the top for carrying it. (Ajmar-Wollheim 183)

PIVA. A quick-tempo'd dance. (Cohen 283)

POSSESSO. A procession made by a newly-crowned pope which went from St. Peter's to St. John Lateran along the Via Sacra (or Via Papalis). A detailed route is found in Cohen 79; it went all over Rome's major sites. People were arranged in order of precedence, but brawls could break out if someone disagreed upon the order created.

POVERUOMO. A respectful term for a poor man. One far less respectful term was persona vile (Cohen 77). Contrast with "signore".

PRIMIERA. A card game a bit like poker with four-card hands. The card values went up to about 51-52. (Cohen 292)

PROCESSO/PROCESSI. The beginning information-gathering phase of a trial. Judgment would come afterward, when the lawyers involved wrote their briefs about the case and what was learned. During questioning, notaries wrote down everything said and sometimes done. (Cohen "Love" 4).

PUDORE. A quality pursued by women, namely being the opposite of "impudent." It involved virtue, self-restraint, quiet bearing, chastity, downcast eyes, and a self-conscious blush to the cheeks (Cohen 91).

PUNTA/AGHETTO/AGUGELLO. The point, sometimes of precious metal, which reinforces the tip of a ribbon or cord used for lacing up clothes. They pass through the eyelets (magliette) of silver or silver-gilt. The term comes to mean the whole lace, not just the metal tip. (Herald)

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QUARESIMA. The fasting time of Lent (Florio 429).

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RASCIA. Silk, as in "gamurra di rascia nera" (Guasti 610). Also a spiderweb (Florio 422). Also, RASCIA (F). A garment named after the textile from which it was made, rather in the way that the guarnello was. (Herald 224)

RASO. Textile of satin weave (see ZETANO). As with zetano, raso may be used as a solid single-coloured textile; but it often constitutes the ground structure of a figured fabric, e.g. raso vellutato. (Herald 224)

REBEC. A stringed instrument played with a bow. Other instruments: the cornetto (a long, flute-like woodwind with a drawn-out cone shape). (http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/studiolo/studiolo8.html)

REFE. Sewing thread. As in "nove matasse di refe" (Guasti 16). (Florio 426)

RENSA. Fine linen (probably originating from Rheims), used for the best quality biancheria. (Herald 224)

RETA. A knotted net of silk or gold threads, which often incorporated pearls and sometimes other gems, worn over the hair. (Herald 224)

RETICELLA. A form of Italian needle lace (Herald 248).

RICAMI. Embroideries used to decorate cloth (Herald 65).

RICCIO/RIZZO. See VELLUTO. (Herald 224)

RICETTO. The main hallway that led from the staircase to the sala, where people waited to speak with the house's master. (Ajmar-Wollheim 36)

RICORDANZA. The family recordbook, recounting important family events (Cohen 144). It also included financial records and where the family's various pieces of furniture were at the given time--lent out, at the summer house, wherever (Ajmar-Wollheim 17).

RIGATTIERE. Dealers in used goods or junk. (Love 306)

RINGHIERA. Platform balconies, where speeches or announcements were given. (Cohen 134)

RIONE/RIONI. One of the major neighborhoods of Rome. Each one had its own flag and symbol. (Burke 223 to start)

RITOCCHI. Gems that were re-cut for later uses; the practice was often done with engraved gems (Herald 169).

RIVENDITRICE. Dishonorable women who bought provisions and resold them at the same market or fair; they were regarded as little better than whores, and there were strict rules about when they could enter the market to sell their goods (Welch 36).

ROBA (M/F). Towards the end of the centruy, roba signifies specifically a garment lined with fur, completely open in front -- but closed in the following century. (Herald 224)

ROMEI/ROMAPETI. Pilgrims to Rome (Levillain 727).

ROSATO. A shade of red (probably pinkish) often made from grana. Probably, rosato became so associated with a particular kind of cloth that the word is often used on its own, to denote the woollen cloth of the same colour. The solemn rosato appearance of Leonardo Bruni is described by Vespasiano da Bisticci (op.cit.). Rosato was not as highly prized as chermisi, for in a Florentine embassy to the Pope, the eight ambassadors were closed in cremisi, but their 72 companions were rosato. (Herald 227) Sometimes made from grana (Herald 120).Â

ROSSE/ROSSO. Tawny red. (Florio 453)

ROSSEGGIANTE. Ruddy, blushing, inclining toward red, ruby-red, cherry-lipped. (Florio 453)

ROSSETTO/ROSSICCIO/ROSSIGNO. Ruddy, somewhat red. Also a blush color, or russet. (Florio 453)

ROTTO. Worn out, used, old. Other terms for such garments: tristo, usato, and vecchio; such garments might be recut for more life (Herald 248).

RUBBIO. A "mouth" -- the amount of grain one person ate in one year. It worked out to about 200kg. In 1528 it cost about 52 giulii but could get higher in scarce years (Partner 73). A rubbio was also the measure of a field--how many rubbie it would yield (Cohen 283).

RUFFIANA. A female go-between for courtesans or adulterous women and their lovers. She might also function as a witch and fortune-teller. (Masson 28)

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SACCO (F). An overdress with sleeves, similar to the cioppa. There are examples made from velvet and others of woollen cloth. (Herald 227)

SAIA. Originally a type of woollen cloth; but alternatively, later in the century, saia may refer to a silk textile. The term often denotes a woman's garment, when it is probably related to the cotta and the gamurra; the 1464 Florentine legislation categorizes saia, cotta and gamurra together (see COTTA). A saia doppia is listed amongst the Pucci possessions of 1449, indicating that it was self-lined; because the entry specifies that it had sleeves of silk, this particular saia was probably made from woollen cloth. During the summer, Filippo Maria Visconti would wear a saio decorated in the military style; with it, he wore a lining of sable (zibellini) in winter, or a vaio or ermine in spring or autumn. (Herald 227)

SAIA/SAIO. A kirtle or petticoat, also a small Turkish coin sometimes found in Venice; Herald says it can mean a silk or woollen garment; mentioned as "gamurra di saia nera" in Guasti 610. (Florio 459)

SALA. A large main room in the house. It accommodated gatherings and might be where the main fireplace was; in smaller houses it was where the cooking occurred (Cohen 160). There were many variations of the term: salotto, saletta (Ajmar-Wollheim 22, 36). The sala principale was the main sala and was located on the piano nobile (Ajmar-Wollheim 36).

SALTERELLO. A quick-tempo'd dance. (Cohen 283)

SARTI. Tailors (Herald 64).

SBERNIA/BERNIA/ALBERNIA (M/F). A short cloak, worn slung over one shoulder a la apostolica. Some suggest the name is a corrupted form of burnus (Arabic). (Diario Ferrarese, 1494). (Herald 227)

SBIADATO. Possibly a shade of bluish grey; or the cloth of that colour. Used in combination with blue (azzurro) or grey (bigio), sbiadato might comply with this tonal range. (Polidori Calamandrei, op.cit., pp. 131-2.) (Herald 227) Might also mean generally light colors (Herald 92).

SCANNARE. Slicing the throat in the way livestock is slaughtered; Cohen traces a couple of honor killings of adulterous spouses or frolicsome daughters using this technique (Cohen "Love" 27).

SCARLATTA. Scarlet cloth; i.e. a woollen cloth, sometimes of a bright red scarlet colour. (Herald 227)

SCARPE/SCARPETTE. Shoes are not mentioned very frequently in inventories. Perhaps they were not worn that often, for Lorenzo Strozzi remarked with delight at how in Spain he was wearing shoes, laced at the side of the foot (scarpette colle cordelline dalla latora, colle punte lunghe tre dita), thus removing the need to wear peduli on his calze. (Strozzi, op.cit., p. 29.) Shoes may be made of woollen cloth, perhaps with soles of felted wool; or they may be made of leather. (Herald 227)

SCARTINO. A card game popular in the late 1400s, played by Beatrice and Isabella d'Este (Herald 38).

SCEMPIO. Single thickness of cloth, as opposed to doppia (Herald 243).

SCHERIUOLI. Squirrel fur, used in making clothes; an inventory from 1424 mentions sleeves made of this (Herald 243).

SCIAQUATORI. The big water faucets in the kitchen that larger households had for washing dishes. (Ajmar-Wollheim 147)

SCIUGATOI. Alternate spelling of Herald's "sciogatoio/asciugatoio", and in most cases means the plain white veil that an older woman wore over her head. It could also mean a hand-towel. In modern times, the term means something like a nun's wimple that covers the head and neck and part of the shoulders. (Guasti 611) (Florio 478)

SCIOGATOIO/ASCIUGATOIO. A towel; it has as many meanings as it does uses. As well as being a hand towel, it could be a cloth to cover a chest, or a pillowslip; it was equally commonly applied to the linen veil, worn over the head, usually by older women and widows. These sciogatoi look rather practical, plain and dense, compared with some of the light silk veils worn by younger Italian women, or in Spain; the contrast is well described in a letter to Alessandra Macinghi Strozzi from one of her sons (Strozzi, op.cit., p. 29). The sciugatoio was attached by means of hairpins and ribbons, in whatever manner best suited the wearer, and then fell down over the neck and shoulders. Certain religious orders, and possibly some widows, drew the towel under the chin, thus completely covering the neck. (Herald 227)

SCRITTOIO. The study, where books and valuables were kept (Ajmar-Wollheim 27, 36).

SCUFFIA (M/F). See CUFFIA. (Herald 227)

SEGGETA. A toilet stool (Frugoni 55). Built square-shaped with wood and an outhouse-like hole in the middle. The chamberpot was underneath the hold behind a cabinet-like door. Another name for it was luogo da sedere, "place for sitting," or necessario, agiamento, or destro, depending on the city (Ajmar-Wollheim 183).

SELLA (F). A saddle-shaped headdress worn by women in the middle of the century, probably influenced by fashions from north of the Alps. Like the corna, the sella usually suspends a fine veil of silk. (Herald 227) An illustration of it occurs in The Fountain of Youth by Jaquerio, reproduced on p. 57 of Herald's book.

SERA. Night (Cohen 168).

SFACCIATO. "Lacking face," denoting senza vergogna. Someone who lacked face defied society's mores and values. The quality of lacking face was sfacciatezza; the mother-pimps of prostitutes and go-betweens were said to be sfacciatezza in their utter shamelessness (Cohen 94).

SFREGIO. A permanent scar, especially on the face-- a terrible blow to the honor (Cohen 94). One courtesan was called Antea Sfregiata due to her disfigurement (Masson 25).

SOPPANNATA. Lined, referring to clothing (Herald 243).

SOPRAVESTE/SOPRAVESTI. Outer garments (Florio 528). Mentioned in Herald 220.

SPADARO. A cutler (Florio 533).

SPALLE. Shoulders, as in "mantello nero per le spalle, tristo". Can also mean "pauldrons". Today it means those bits of braid you find on military uniforms' shoulders (Guasti 611). (Florio 518)

SPARAGREMBO. An apron (Herald 248).

SPECCHIETTO. A small looking-glass. Also a list or roll/catalogue/checklist of names in a public registry, or a registry of dispatches (Florio 535).

SPECCHIO. A mirror or looking-glass. Also a pattern of Virtue or Vice (Florio 535).

SPECO. A cave, den, dungeon, deep hole, or lurking-place. Also called a SPELENCA or SPELONCA (Florio 535).

SPECULO. A mirror or looking-glass, also a tool used by chirurgeons (Florio 535).

SPELATO. Threadbare, plucked free of hair, wool, skin, or feathers. Also used for nudity (Florio 535).

SPEZIALE. A higher-end apothecary (Welch 151).

SPINARIO. One of the most popular small statues in Italy during the Renaissance; numerous copies exist of the original, which was made originally around 100BC. The name means "thorn-puller" and is a dark-colored statuette of a young man sitting with one foot cross-legged on his opposite knee, pulling a thorn out of his exposed foot (Welch 266). These reproductions are sometimes seen as inkwells (Ruvoldt 28, Ajmar-Wollheim 170, Currie 89, and others).

SPONSALIA. The occasion of signing the marital contract, which began the betrothal period. (Ajmar-Wollheim 108)

SPORTELLO. The smallest entrance to the city walls (Frugoni 49).

SPREZZATURA. The art of making something complex look very easy; the principal skill and aspiration of any courtier (Cohen 80).

STIVALI (M). Boots. Footwear is not mentioned very frequently in contemporary documents. However, where stivali appear, they are often described as being made in a foreign style, e.g. a la todesca con le poncte, or of gilded leather (the gilding of leather being a specialty of Valencia, Spain). (Herald 227)

STRAPPADO. A "jerking rope" used in torture, which hauled the offender into the air by the arms. It hurt a lot. (Cohen 120)

STRASCICO (M/F). The depth of hem of a garment. It is difficult to determine exactly how the strascico was measured. In some cases, and perhaps most commonly, it refers just to the train of a woman's dress, often referred to as the coda di veste. At other times, it signifies the depth of the border about the hem. Several sumptuary legislations included clauses restricting the size of the strascico. (Herald 228) Also called the coda di veste (Herald 104).

STRINGHE. The ribbons of laces which hang decoratively from a garment, like those attached to Beatrice's sleeves in the Pala Sforzesca. (Herald 228)

STUDIOLO. Another word for a study in a house. (Ruvoldt 19)

STUFE. Public baths. Associated with prostitution (Partner 100, also Frugoni 163).

SUDARIUM. The cloth of Veronica miraculously imprinted with Christ's face as he made his way to Cavalry. It was stored in the Basilica of St. Peter and exposed by the Pope from the Loggia of Benediction on Easter, Ascension, and Christmas, and every Sunday and feast day during Jubilee years. It was such an in-demand relic that it became the symbol of the entire Roman pilgrimage. (Stinger 39)

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TABARRO/TABARRONE (M). A heavy overgarment, often lined with fur. (Herald 228)

TAFFETA. A plain woven silk, used for lining sleeves, and for modest silk dresses. (Herald 228)

TASCHETTA. A small purse worn on the person (Herald 205).

TENIA. A head-band, fillet, hair-lace, or the knot for fastening the fillet. A woolen turban-like hat worn by either sex. (Florio 557)

TENZONE. A sonnet exchange in which one poet proposes the theme and sets up the rhyme (proposta) and a second responds appropriately (riposta) (Galluci 50).

TERRA DA DONNE, "land of women," a name for Rome and its courtesans (Masson 10).

TERZANELLO. A silk cloth, not of high quality, sometimes used for lining. (Herald 228)

TESTONI. "Big heads," coins depicting people's heads; the style was associated with personal power and rulership (Welch 82).

TINELLO. the servants' hall, frozen in winter, grilled in summer, where leftovers and scraps got eaten. (Partner 87)

TOGA/TOGATO. A procession of scholars of the University of Bologna in 1431 was led by rectors and public speakers dressed in splendid toghe. The use of toghe, or the wearing of a veste togato probably bears a conscious reference to dress in classical Rome. (Herald 228)

TONDO. A round religious panting (Ajmar-Wollheim 194).

TORDIGLIONE. A dance donce close to the ground with a light lively beat, with walking passages and parts performed alternately by the partners (Sutton 42).

TRECCHE. Traveling saleswomen who sold from baskets, not from shops or blankets spread on the ground; they had extremely bad reputations. Also treccole (Welch 34).

TREDURA. A traditional Florentine dish made with leeks hashed with grated bread, meat, beaten eggs, and saffron (Redon 71).

TREMOLANTI. Small pieces of decorative metalwork, often incorporated with fringing and chains, e.g. on headdresses. (Herald 228)

TRENTUNO. A gang rape done by precisely 31 men. The trentuno reale was done by 79 men, but was probably more of a rumor than a confirmed situation. (Masson 25)

TRIDENTE, IL. The trident-shaped streets of the Piazza del Popolo at the north end of Rome.

TRINZALE (F). A piece of fine cloth covering the hair which, in the case of Bianca Maria Sforza, covers both the back of her head and the long roll of hair (coazzone) hanging down her back, tied with ribbons and pearls. (Herald 228)

TRIONFO/TRIONFI. A float with a mythological theme, especially associated with Florence's Carnival. (Stringer 240)

TURCA (M/F). Corresponds to the tunica alla turchesca. Its name suggests an Oriental, possibly Turkish, origin. It is a long garment with sleeves, probably opening down the front, and perhaps with short slits at sides as well. On knighting a Genoese nobleman, Ludovico il Moro adorned him with a turca (Malaguzzi Valeri, op.cit., p. 233); it was probably an ample garment. In an inventory of 1491, Anna Maria Sforza is listed as possessing 'una turcha scarlatta fodrata de nocte'. It is not certain whether this garment was meant to be a closed nightshift to be worn in bed, or an open lined dressing-gown. (Herald 230)

TURCHINO. A colour, possibly a turquoise blue. (Herald 230)

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UNITI. Fabrics of simple, smooth weave (Herald 84). Contrast with operati fabrics.

URECCHIOLI. Ear-flaps to which cords are likely attached and tied under the chin (Herald 248).

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VACATIO. Religious transcendance in which a scholar or philosopher's soul might commune directly with divinity. (Ruvoldt 20)

VAGELLO. A dye vat containing a solution of reduction dyes (woad and indigo). (Herald 230)

VAIO. A general turn for fur, used for lining overgarments but not often shown around the borders. For example, a cioppa may be lined with vaio and the more valuable ermine, the ermine being used around the facings down the front opening, around the hem and the sleeves, where it would show. (Herald 230)

VALESCIO. See GUALESCIO. (Herald 230)

VECCHIA/VECCHIO. Old, used, as in "gamurra di saia nera, vecchia" (Guasti 610). Can also mean "the older" when describing a person, as in "Filippo il Vecchio". (Florio 590)

VEGLIE. Evening gatherings where lower-class girls and youths could mingle and tell stories and dance, maybe even get to know each other and flirt a bit. (Ajmar-Wollheim 105)

VELLUTO. Velvet, a textile with a ground structure of a plain weave, but which is characterized by a surface pile created by the use of an extra warp. In addition to plain single-colour silk velvets, there are many kinds of figured ones which incorporate a combination of weaves. Velluto operato is the general term for figured velvet. Velluto inferriato/a inferriata and velluto raso; voided velvet, in which the smooth ground weave contrasts with the apparently darker velvet pile: the pattern is traced in the voided areas where the pile, having been shaved away, allows the ground to show through. Raso vellutato/zetano vellutato: structurally similar to velluto inferriato, for the pattern is dependent on the contrast between a satin ground and velvet pile; but in this case, the pattern is reversed. Much of the ground satin is apparent, and the figured pattern is defined by the velveted areas. Velluto alto-basso/rilevato/controtagliato: two-pile velvet; the higher of the two cut piles absorbs more light and appears the darker shade. Velluto cesellato incorporates cut (tagliato) and uncut (riccio) piles, the cut being higher than the uncut. Velluto allucciolato: velvet which is highlighted by little loops of gold or silver, introduced in the weft of the textile, which stand out above the silk velvet pile. Velluto riccio sopra riccio/rizo sopra rizo: velvet in which the areas of looped gold or silver threads stand out above the silk pile; the effect is much more solid than in the velluti allucciolati. (Herald 230)

VELO/VELETTO DA TESTA (F). A veil; many are listed in inventories, and may be of fine linen or silk. (Herald 230)

VENDOCOLORI. Merchants who sold pigments to painters, a specialization that arose first in Venice (Welch 12).

VERGOGNA. Shame, meant to imploy personal honor. Someone who didn't have shame -- who was senza vergogna didn't care about public opinion and acted outrageously, so was therefore without honor. (Cohen 91)

VERZINO. Brazil-wood, an important source of red dye, obtained from the trees of the Caesalpinia family, introduced to the West by the Venetians through their trading with the East; the country of Brazil was later named after its large number of indigenous trees of the Caesalpinia species. (Herald 230)

VESCAPO (M/F). Recorded in the north of Italy, it is probably the type of cloak (mantello) worn over the head. (Herald 230)

VESPAIO (F). Literally translated, it means a wasp's nest. In fact, it was a netted headdress worn by women, often made of strings of pearls. (Herald 230)

VESTE/VESTA. Either the term corresponds to the gonnella of the fourteenth century, in which case it is a man's gown with sleeves, made from a variety of textiles; or it applies more generally to a suit of clothes. (Herald 230)

VESTIMENTO (M/F). Later in the fifteenth century, the term which replaces the words sacco and pellanda, a regularly worn type of overgarment. (Herald 230)

VESTITO (M/F). A general term, particularly during the latter part of the century, for an overgown with sleeves, probably a heavier version of the veste. In the splendid trousseau of Bianca Maria Sforza in 1493, there was just one vestito; but it was an extremely precious embroidered one (di raso cremisino recamato) with a hem (bulzana) of embroidered raso turchino, and over the breast 80 little jewels with a ruby and four pearls in each one. Ludovico il Moro once gave 17-1/2 braccia of zetonino avvellutato morello to Messer Mariotto da Reggio, oratore, to get himself made a vestito and a zuppone (Malaguzzi Valeri, op.cit., p. 422). (Herald 231)

VICINANZA. The neighborhood, an informal subsection of a rioni or gonfaloni. (Burke 223)

VIGNA. A simple house in the abandoned parts of Rome or outside the walls, a villa with a little orchard or vineyard, used as a retreat by wealthy people. They got opulent fast as time went by, with some diverting water from the only working aqueduct in town (the Aqua Virgo) to feed a nymph fountain. They also were filled with antiques. (Stinger 76)

VIOLA DA BRACCIO. A viola played on the arm, popular with courtesans. The viola da gamba was played between the legs like a cello today. (Masson 39)

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ZAFFERA. A color used by painters (Florio 627).

ZAFFERANO. Any kind of saffron (Florio 627). Also ZAFFRANO. Verb, ZAFFRANARE, to dye or stain with saffron, to ensaffron something (Florio 628).

ZAFFIRO. Sapphire. Also a sort of hawk with yellow legs and feet. Also a fish similar to guildhead or dorci (Florio 627).

ZAGAGLIA. A sort of longsword (Galluci 115). Other online sources consider the term to mean a lance similar to the assegai (see: this link).

ZAGARELLA. A lift, hem, or welt around a skirt's edge. Also a curb (bit?) of leather rather than iron, used by horsemen to train young colts (Florio 628).

ZAGO. A priest clerk who assists in masses (Florio 628).

ZAINA. A drinking-glass, also a species of American tree used by natives to make one-piece canoes; the canoes are also called by the name of the same tree (Florio 628).

ZALDONE. A type of flower. Also a wafer-cake (Florio 628).

ZAMBELLE. A wafer or fine cake, also called a ZIMBELLO. A wafer or cake-baker is a ZAMBELLARO (Florio 628).

ZAMBELLOTTO. See CAMBELLOTTO. (Herald 231)

ZAMBRACCA. A common whore (Florio 628). Verb, ZAMBRACCARE, to follow common whores or to play the part of a common filthy whore (Florio 628).

ZAMPOGNA. A reed pipe of the variety commonly used by shepherds. Also a bell hung around a bellwether or a lead goat to lead the rest of the flock. Also vain or idle babblings (Florio 628). One who plays the pipes--or who prattles and babbles--is a ZAMPOGNARO.

ZANA. A cradle used in Florence, also called a CULLA. In other places the term refers to a water cistern or hand-drawn wheelbarrow. Also, a country wench's silken girdle or scarf (Florio 628).

ZANFRONE. A lusty lad or swaggering gallant. Also used to mean the type of English coin called a crown, which were called at the time "red-ruddocks" (Florio 628).

ZANGOLA. A chamber close-stool or toilet (Florio 628).

ZANNI. Also ATTELANI. A "cross-biting" or "cunny-catching" knave (Florio 628).

ZANNUOLO. A silly John or foolish Jack, a wanton darling; also ZANE a foolish man, simpleton, servant drudge, or comedy clown (Florio 628).

ZARA. A dice game. (Cohen 291)

ZARBA. A skittish, skipping wench (Florio 629).

ZARZECANO. A coarse cloth made and worn by the Moors (Florio 629).

ZAZZEATORE. A very vain person, especially of his hair. From ZAZZERA, a tuft or lock of hair on a man's head, especially in front. ZAZZERINA, a small tuft or hair. ZAZZERUTO, a man with such a notable tuft or front lock (Florio 629).

ZEBE, plural of ZEBRA. Can mean a goat or kid, but properly the term indicates a wild beast like a mule found in India (Florio 629).

ZECCA. The Roman Mint, which produced coinage, medals, medallions, and other useful things. Located near the church of St. Celso. (Partner 70)

ZECCHINO. A gold coin used in Venice in 1611 worth about 7 English shillings and sixpence (Florio 629). See also Money.

ZELAMINA. A precious stone called a Zelamin-stone (Florio 629). Also called a calamina, a name for a common pink zinc ore (source).

ZELOSO. Zealous, affectionate, filled with zeal or affection. Also jealous, afraid the object of one's affection may become "common" to another person (Florio 629).

ZEMILACE. A sort of green gemstone (Florio 629).

ZEMINA. A fine damask worked with gold done on knives or Persian swords (Florio 629).

ZENDADO/ZENDALE. A very light silk textile of Oriental origin; but later, the term came to refer to textiles made from fibres other than silk. (Herald 231)

ZENEZAVERATA. Ginger water or ginger marinade (Redon 121).

ZENZERO. Ginger, the spice (Florio 630).

ZETANO/ZETANINO. Satin, a plain fabric characterized by its smooth reflective surface. The term relates to the cloth structure, and not to the fibres from which it is made. However, it may be presumed that all satins in fifteenth-century Italian dress are of silk. Although plain satins were used in the fifteenth century, satin weave often appears as the ground of a textile figured in velvet, i.e. zetano vellutato (see VELLUTO). (Herald 231)

ZEZOBRANO. A spice used in place of saffron (Florio 630).

ZIBALDONE. A private nournal of thoughts, sometimes thought to be randomly written, poorly-ordered, stream-of-consciousness style (Welch 108).

ZIBELLINI. Sable fur. (Herald 227)

ZINGANI. Counterfeit Egyptians or Gypsies. Famous thieves, fleecers, fortune-tellers, all out to deceive (Florio 630).

ZINNA. A dug, pap, breast, teat, udder (Florio 630).

ZITELLE. Unmarried maidens (Cohen "Love" 47). ZITELLO, a young man or boy (Florio 630).

ZOCCOLO (F). Venetian chopine, a tall version of the pianella (Herald 231). Plural, ZOCCOLI. They were made of velvet or leather, with lace or beadwork adorning them (Ajmar-Wollheim 114).

ZONELLA. A little girdle or belt (Florio 630).

ZONETTI. A Venetian drinking-glass that is long, with a wide mouth (Florio 631).

ZORNEA. See GIORNEA. (Herald 231)

ZOSTERO. Shingles, also called "St Anthony's Fire" or the "running evil" (Florio 631).

ZUCCA. A drinking-glass. Also a salt-box, a bottle in general, or lantern. Also a skullcap or steel cap, and metaphorically a man's head (Florio 631).

ZUPARELLO (M). A form of doublet. At a tournament held in 1491, Annibale Bentivoglio was accompanied by 12 swordsmen wearing green satin zuparelli (Malaguzzi Valeri, op.cit., p. 42). Galeazzo Maria Sforza, who was of course responsible for clothing members of his court, supplied several zuparelli. His letters also include an interesting entry of maneghetti and bredoni (protective shoulder and hip pieces) to put on a zuparello d'armare. The correspondence between armour and fashionable clothing was very strong; it is therefore probable that the zuparello as armour and as everyday dress made from silk or cloth both followed the same silhouette about the torso (see FARSETTO). (Herald 231)

ZUPONE (M). See FARSETTO. (Herald 231)

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This page last updated: February 22, 2011.

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