zetani

zetani

Italian

Alternative forms

• zettani

Etymology

From Latin sētā (“silk”), probably via unattested Late Latin *sētīnus (“silken [cloth]”).[1] Very frequently folk-etymologized to derive from Arabic زيتون‎ (“Zayton; olive”),[2] a calque of Quanzhou's former Chinese nickname 刺桐城 (“Tung Tree City”), after the trees which had been extensively planted there in the 10th century by Liu Congxiao,[3] but the derivation is unsupported.[1]

Noun

zetani m (invariable)

1. (obsolete) Synonym of setino: satin

References

1. "satin, n. (and adj.)" in the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1909.
2. E.g., Henry Yule's "Chinchew" entry for the Encyclopædia Britannica, 9th ed., 1878.
3. Kauz, Ralph. Aspects of the Maritime Silk Road, p. 145.

Anagrams

• Atzeni