cirigaita

Galician

Alternative forms

• xirigaita

Etymology

From Old French eschirgaite (“patrol; skirmish”), from Frankish *skarawahta, from *skara (“troop”) (from Proto-Germanic *skarō (“portion, share”)) + *wahta (“watch, guard”). Doublet of zaragata. Cognate with German Scharwache.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /θiɾiˈɡajta̝/, (western) /siɾiˈɡajta̝/

Noun

cirigaita f (plural cirigaitas)

1. racket, din
   • 1753, Diego Antonio Cernadas y Castro, Mingotiña, si está alá:

     Mingotiña, si està alà
     nà tua man ô Pandeiro,
     fais de conta, que ô punteiro,
     è ò fol da gaita està acà:
     à foliada andarà,
     mais con esa girigaita
     non magines, que se engaita
     ô mundo, que è gran fistol,
     è vè, què te ris do fol
     para donde ronca â Gaita.

     Mingotiña, if the tambourine
     is there with you,
     take into account that the chanter
     and the bag of the bagpipe are here:
     the parade will walk,
     but with this racket
     don't imagine that the world,
     who is a great swindler, is tricked,
     and see, you laugh at the bag
     at the direction the bagpipe is roaring.

2. skinny person

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “cirigaita”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “cirigaita”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “cirigaita”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN