cicisbeo

Borrowed from Italian cicisbeo, of onomatopoeic origin.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌtʃɪtʃɪzˈbeɪəʊ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌtʃitʃəzˈbeɪoʊ/
• Rhymes: -eɪəʊ

cicisbeo (plural cicisbeos or cicisbei)

1. (18th century Italy) A knightly servant of a high-born lady.
2. A married woman's lover; a kept man.
   • 1957, Lawrence Durrell, Justine:

     Of course a cicisbeo is a normal enough figure in Alexandrian life, but things are going to become socially very boring for you if you go out with those two so much.

• cicisbeism

Borrowed from Polish cicisbeo.

• • IPA^(key): /t͡sit͡sisˈbeo/
  • Hyphenation: ci‧cis‧be‧o
  • Rhymes: -eo

cicisbeo (accusative singular cicisbeon, plural cicisbeoj, accusative plural cicisbeojn)

1. cicisbeo

Onomatopoeic of people chatting.

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃi.t͡ʃisˈbɛ.o/, [t͡ʃit͡ʃiz̪ˈbɛːo]
• Rhymes: -ɛo
• Hyphenation: ci‧ci‧sbèo

cicisbeo m (plural cicisbei)

1. (historical, 18th century) cicisbeo (knightly servant of a high-born lady)
   • 1906, Maria Merlato, Mariti e cavalier serventi nelle commedie del Goldoni, page 86.

     Como abbiamo visto, Beatrice ha un cicisbeo.

     As we have seen, Beatrice has a cicisbeo.

   Synonym: cavalier servente

2. (by extension) A dandy, a vain young man who is concerned about his appearance, especially in order to attract women.
   • 2016, Sandra Heath, La lady mascherata, tr. by Fabrizio Pezzoli, Edizioni Mondadori (publ.), →ISBN.

     Subiva spesso le sgradite attentioni di cicisbei di quel tipo, e senza eccezioni li teneva a debita distanza.

     She often drew the unwanted attention of that kind of dandies, and without fail she kept them at a distance.

   Synonyms: bellimbusto, damerino, galletto, vagheggino, zerbinotto

3. (historical, 18th century, figuratively) A kind of ribbon.

• cicisbeare
• cicisbeismo

• cicisbeatura

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