mazza

English

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Alternative forms

• mazzaleen

Noun

mazza (countable and uncountable, plural mazzas)

1. (MLE) Madness; something that is mad; a crazy situation.
   • 2018, AM Skengdo (lyrics and music), “Diligent Members” (track 4), in Greener on the Other Side, performed by Skengdo x AM:

     Must have thought I was one of the paigons / Left a trace and my yard got raided / It's a mazza / He was talking tough 'till I chased man down with a ladder

References

• Jonathon Green (2024) “mazza n.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang

Etymology 2

See meze.

Noun

mazza

1. Alternative form of meze.

Italian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *mattea (compare French masse, Spanish maza, Portuguese maça), probably vulgarly formed from Latin mateola (“hoe”). Cf. also Latin matia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmat.t͡sa/
• Rhymes: -attsa
• Hyphenation: màz‧za

Noun

mazza f (plural mazze)

1. baton
2. club (weapon)
3. mace (ceremonial weapon)
4. (sports) bat
5. sledgehammer
6. maul
7. mallet
8. (vulgar) penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:cazzo

9. priest (tool for killing fishes)

Related terms

• mazzata
• mazzarella
• mazzuola
• ammazzare

Further reading

• mazza in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
• mazza in garzantilinguistica.it – Garzanti Linguistica, De Agostini Scuola Spa

Maltese

Root
m-z-z
2 terms

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian mazza and/or Sicilian mazza, from Vulgar Latin *mattea.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmat.t͡sa/

Noun

mazza f (plural mazez)

1. mace

Sicilian

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *mattea, probably vulgarly formed from Latin mateola.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmat.tsa/
• Hyphenation: màz‧za

Noun

mazza f (plural mazzi)

1. club
2. clod, lump (of clay or earth)

See also

• bastuni