Tre fitonimi per il DESN: 'cetro', 'cetrulo' e 'cetrulillo'

Abstract

This contribution analyses three botanical entries to be published in DESN, preceded by a brief introduction: cetro, cetrulo and cetrulillo. The entries come from the Latin CĬTRUS and are of alternating neuter gender. Cetro and cetrulo are attested in Neapolitan since the 13^th century (Regimen Sanitatis). The first entry presented in this study, cetro, designates both the plant and the fruit of the cedar, like its Italian counterpart cedro. The various translated meanings and the rich phraseology in which cetrulo, properly ‘cetriolo’, occurs are illustrated in the commentary. Lastly, the diminutive cetrulillo, attested in Neapolitan since the 18^th century with the meaning ‘gherkin’, also designates other botanical species (such as the donkey watermelon). The three entries presented highlight a characteristic of dialectal phytonymy, namely the absence of biunivocity between botanical referent and dialectal name.