cacciaccavallo

Italian

Alternative forms
  • cacciacavallo

Etymology

Verb-object compound, composed of caccia (“to hunt; to chase; to drive away”) +‎ cavallo (“horse”). Origin of term unclear. Compare Neapolitan cassa a cavallo and Sicilian cascavaddu.

Noun

cacciaccavallo m (plural cacciaccavalli)

  1. (nautical, archaic) a large bolt that goes through a mast at its foot or under the top, with the goal of stabilizing the structure

Further reading
  • cacciaccavallo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
  • cacciaccavallo in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication
  • Accademia della Crusca (p. 1961), “cacciaccavallo”, in Grande dizionario della lingua italiana (in Italian), volume 2, page 478
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