liafanti

Sicilian

Alternative forms

• alifanti, lifanti, liufanti
• elefanti (italianism)

Etymology

From the metathesis of an earlier alifanti, from Latin elephantem. See lijatina for the morphology. Cognate with Italian elefante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌli.aˈfan.ti/, [ˌli.aˈfan.tɪ]
• Hyphenation: li‧a‧fàn‧ti

Noun

liafanti m (plural liafanti)

1. elephant

Usage notes

• Given the oral nature of the Sicilian language, the linguistic prestige of Italian increasingly influences the substitution of words for objects not in everyday use. For this reason the fame of the Catania's monument depicting an elephant par excellence has now made the belief that in Sicily the word for elephant is the same as the monument, that is Liotru.

Derived terms

• liafanti fricanu
• liafanti nnianu
• liafantìasi

 

Related terms

• jamiḍḍu
• janga
• liotru
• liuni
• prubbòsciti
• scìmia
• squalu
• trighi

 

Descendants

• → Italian: leofante (regional)

See also

• Àfrica
• Àsia