Where does “mazzafrusto” come from?

mazzafrusto (Italian) comes from Italian mazza, from Vulgar Latin mattea, from Latin mateola, from Latin -ulus, from Proto-Italic -olos, from Proto-Italic -elos, from Proto-Indo-European -e-lós, from Proto-Indo-European -lós — Forms agent nouns from verbal roots.

mazzafrusto (Italian): flail, chain mace

Definitions

  1. flail, chain mace

Ancestry of “mazzafrusto”, step by step

mazzafrusto traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Italian mazza

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianmazzabaton; club; mace
2Vulgar LatinmatteaA dainty dish, a delicacy
3LatinmateolaThe meaning of this term is uncertain....
4Latin-ulusUsed to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating...
5Proto-Italic-olos
6Proto-Italic-elosForms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns
7Proto-Indo-European-e-lós
8Proto-Indo-European-lósForms agent nouns from verbal roots

via Italian frusto

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianfrustopast participle of frustare; threadbare, worn...
2Latinfrustuma piece, bit; crumb, morsel, scrap of food
3Proto-Italicfrustom
4Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrus-tós
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰrews-to break
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -lós