Where does “femmeniello” come from?
femmeniello (Neapolitan) comes from Neapolitan femmena, from Latin fēmina, from Proto-Italic fēmanā, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁(y)- — to suckle, nurse.
femmeniello (Neapolitan): a male transvestite
Definitions
- a male transvestite
Ancestry of “femmeniello”, step by step
femmeniello traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Neapolitan femmena
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neapolitan | femmena | woman; wife |
| 2 | Latin | fēmina | woman |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | fēmanā | woman |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁-m̥n-eh₂ | who sucks; one who is sucked; one who suckles;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰeh₁(y)- | to suckle, nurse |