Monday, October 12, 2009

Ciao

I like using the word "ciao." And I love it's etymology:
The word derives from the Venetian phrase s-ciào vostro or s-ciào su literally meaning "I am your slave".... The expression was not a literal statement of fact, of course, but rather a perfunctory promise of good will among friends (along the lines "if you ever need my help, count on me"). The Venetian word for "slave", s-ciào ([ˈstʃao]) or s-ciàvo, is cognate of the Italian schiavo and derives from Latin sclavus.

1 Comments:

Blogger TomS said...

Good information....essential to someone of Italian descent, like myself....
Ciao to you, Michael!

8:41 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home