finocchio
English
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fĭnŏʹkĭō, fĭnōʹkĭō, IPA(key): /fɪˈnɒkɪəʊ/, /fɪˈnəʊkɪəʊ/
Noun
finocchio (plural finocchi or finocchios)
- A fennel cultivar with a bulb-like structure at its base, used as a vegetable; Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum).
- Synonym: Florence fennel
- 1974, Ali-Bab (author) and Elizabeth Benson (translator), Encyclopedia of Practical Gastronomy, page 41
- Finocchios are shoots of the fennel, an odoriferous plant of the Umbelliferae family.
- 1981, Country Life, volume 170, page 1,057
- For the first time, finocchio, or Florence fennel, has performed for me as it should and has swollen out into bulbous protrusions at the base of its leaf stalks.
- 1983, Theodore James, The Gourmet Garden, page 44
- The strong anise odor of finocchio repels many insects from other vegetables.
- 1994, B. Rosie Lerner and Beverly S. Netzhammer, Possum in the Pawpaw Tree: A Seasonal Guide to Midwestern Gardening, page 43
- Also called Florence fennel, finocchio has long been a popular vegetable in Europe but has somehow fallen out of circulation from most American gardens.
- (derogatory, slang) A male homosexual.
- 2008, Edward Anthony Gibbons, A Cultural Affair, page 6
- On many, a cold freezing night, of temperatures hovering near zero, the finocchios tease and try to encourage Tedesco to join in their warm body orgies.
- 2009, Paul MacKenzie, Redemption Comes to Brooklyn, page 172
- Not to mention, he and Julie were finocchios; but at least Larry was a smart finocchio.
- 2010, Suzanne Corso, Brooklyn Story, page 182
- “Don’ stand next to any finocchios who might try’n grab your best friend,” Vin cracked. Richie roared as Tony made his way to the men’s room.
- 2011 August 19, Torchwood: Miracle Day, episode 7: “Immortal Sins”, 23:51–23:57
- Salvatore Maranzano: Rumour is you two are a pair of finocchi.
- Captain Jack Harkness: That’s not a rumour; that’s a boast.
- 2008, Edward Anthony Gibbons, A Cultural Affair, page 6
Synonyms
- (male homosexual): See Thesaurus:male homosexual
References
- “‖ Finochio” listed on page 237 of volume IV (F and G), § i (F) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1901]
‖ Finochio (finǫ·kio). Also 8 fenochia, -io, -occhio, finocha, finochi, 8–9 fin(n)ochia. [It. finocchio: — popular L. fēnoclum: see Fennel.] The sweet fennel (Fœniculum dulce); also called the dwarf or French fennel. [¶] 1723 R. Digby Let. to Pope 14 Aug. How spring the Brocoli and the Fenochio. 1767 J. Abercrombie Ev. Man own Gardener (1803) 658/1 Finochio, or French fennel; for soups, sallads, etc. 1796 C. Marshall Garden. xvi. (1813) 267 Finochio is a sort of dwarf fennel. 1847 Craig, Finnochia, a variety of fennel. - “‖finochio” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]
Italian

Etymology
From Late Latin fēnuculum (contracted to a later Vulgar Latin form *fenuclum), from a diminutive of Latin fēnum. The slang sense is of Tuscan origin and probably derives from the archaic meaning “worthless person”, although many different folk etymologies exist.[1]
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɔkkjo
- IPA(key): /fi.nokˈki.o/
Noun
finocchio m (plural finocchi)
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
- → English: finocchio
Further reading
Finocchio on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia it
References
Anagrams
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.