ruffiano

Italian

Etymology

From roffia (“dirt”), from Old High German hruf (“eschar, crust”). Cognate with Icelandic hrufla (“to scratch”), English ruffle. Alternatively from Vulgar Latin *rufianus, from rūfus (“red”).[1]

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /rufˈfja.no/
  • Rhymes: -ano
  • Hyphenation: ruf‧fià‧no

Noun

ruffiano m (plural ruffiani, feminine ruffiana)

  1. pander, procurer, pimp
    Synonyms: magnaccia, protettore, lenone, pappone
  2. bootlicker
  3. sycophant
  4. flunky
  5. hanger-on

Derived terms

Descendants
  • → Catalan: rufià
  • → Middle French: rufian
    • → English: ruffian
    • → Middle Dutch: ruffiaen, roffiaen
  • → Spanish: rufián

References
  1. ruffiano in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
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