vecchierello

Italian

Etymology

From vecchio (“old man”) +‎ -erello (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vek.kjeˈrɛl.lo/
• Rhymes: -ɛllo
• Hyphenation: vec‧chie‧rèl‧lo

Noun

vecchierello m (plural vecchierelli, feminine vecchierella)

1. diminutive of vecchio

   Synonym: vecchietto

   Antonym: giovincello

   • 1336–1374, Francesco Petrarca, “XVI — Movesi il vecchierel canuto et biancho”, in Il Canzoniere, lines 1–2; republished as Daniele Ponchiroli, editor, Turin: publ. Giulio Einaudi, 1964:

     Movesi il vecchierel canuto et biancho / del dolce loco ov’à sua età fornita

     The little gray-haired old man from the sweet place where he spent his life