bardassa

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic بَرْدَج (bardaj, slave).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /barˈdas.sa/
  • Rhymes: -assa
  • Hyphenation: bar‧dàs‧sa

Noun

bardassa m or f by sense (masculine plural bardassi, feminine plural bardasse)

  1. (literary, derogatory) young prostitute (regardless of gender)
    Synonyms: cinedo, bagascia
  2. (literary, derogatory) brat, kid (regardless of gender)
    Synonyms: ragazzaccio, giovinastro
    Quel ragazzo è una bardassa!That boy is a berdache!
  3. (dialectal, especially in Lombardy) a young boy or girl (cf. "bardassuola"; "ragazzino")

Usage notes

Derived terms

  • bardassaccia
  • bardassone
  • bardassuola

Descendants

  • French: bardache
    • English: bardash, berdache
    • Portuguese: berdache

Further reading

  • bardassa in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana