finocchio

• (ending in '-o') fennocchio, fennochio, fenocchio, fenochio, finnocchio, finnochio, finocchio, finochio
• (ending in '-a') fenochia, finnochia, finocchia, finocha, finochia
• (ending in '-ie') finochie

Borrowed from Italian finocchio (“fennel; (derogatory) male homosexual”). Doublet of fennel.

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: fĭnŏʹkĭō, fĭnōʹkĭō, IPA^(key): /fɪˈnɒkɪəʊ/, /fɪˈnəʊkɪəʊ/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊkiəʊ

finocchio (plural finocchi or finocchios)

1. A fennel cultivar with a bulb-like structure at its base, used as a vegetable; Florence fennel (Foeniculum vulgare var. azoricum).

   Synonym: Florence fennel

   • 1974, Ali-Bab (author) and Elizabeth Benson (translator), Encyclopedia of Practical Gastronomy, page 41

     Finocchios are shoots of the fennel, an odoriferous plant of the Umbelliferae family.

   • 1981, Country Life, volume 170, page 1,057:

     For the first time, finocchio, or Florence fennel, has performed for me as it should and has swollen out into bulbous protrusions at the base of its leaf stalks.

   • 1983, Theodore James, The Gourmet Garden, page 44:

     The strong anise odor of finocchio repels many insects from other vegetables.

   • 1994, B. Rosie Lerner, Beverly S. Netzhammer, Possum in the Pawpaw Tree: A Seasonal Guide to Midwestern Gardening, page 43:

     Also called Florence fennel, finocchio has long been a popular vegetable in Europe but has somehow fallen out of circulation from most American gardens.

2. (derogatory, slang) A male homosexual.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:male homosexual

   • 2008, Edward Anthony Gibbons, A Cultural Affair, page 6:

     On many, a cold freezing night, of temperatures hovering near zero, the finocchios tease and try to encourage Tedesco to join in their warm body orgies.

   • 2009, Paul MacKenzie, Redemption Comes to Brooklyn, page 172:

     Not to mention, he and Julie were finocchios; but at least Larry was a smart finocchio.

   • 2010, Suzanne Corso, Brooklyn Story, page 182:

     “Don’ stand next to any finocchios who might try’n grab your best friend,” Vin cracked. Richie roared as Tony made his way to the men’s room.

   • 2011 August 19, Jane Espenson, Torchwood: Miracle Day, episode 7: “Immortal Sins”, 23:51–23:57

     Salvatore Maranzano: Rumour is you two are a pair of finocchi.
     Captain Jack Harkness: That’s not a rumour; that’s a boast.

• “‖ Finochio” listed on page 237 of volume IV (F and G), § i (F) of A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles [1st ed., 1901]
  ‖ Finochio (finǫ·kio). Also 8 fenochia, -io, -occhio, finocha, finochi, 8–9 fin(n)ochia. [It. finocchio: — popular L. fēnoclum: see Fennel.] The sweet fennel (Fœniculum dulce); also called the dwarf or French fennel. [¶] 1723 R. Digby Let. to Pope 14 Aug. How spring the Brocoli and the Fenochio. 1767 J. Abercrombie Ev. Man own Gardener (1803) 658/1 Finochio, or French fennel; for soups, sallads, etc. 1796 C. Marshall Garden. xvi. (1813) 267 Finochio is a sort of dwarf fennel. 1847 Craig, Finnochia, a variety of fennel.
• “‖finochio” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd ed., 1989]

 

From Late Latin fēnuculum (contracted to a later Vulgar Latin form *fenuclum), from a diminutive of Latin fēnum. The slang sense is of Tuscan origin and probably derives from the archaic meaning “worthless person”, although many different folk etymologies exist.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /fiˈnɔk.kjo/
• Rhymes: -ɔkkjo
• Hyphenation: fi‧nòc‧chio

finocchio m (plural finocchi)

1. (botany) fennel

   Synonym: (Venetian slang) fenocio

2. (slang, vulgar, derogatory) queer, poof, nancyboy, faggot [from 1863]

   Synonyms: omosessuale, (Venetian slang) fenocio, frocio, ricchione

3. (archaic) bungler (incompetent or worthless person)

• finocchiella
• finocchiaccio
• finocchietto
• finocchino
• finocchiona
• finocchione

• fieno

• → Albanian: finok
• → English: finocchio
• → Greek: φινόκιο (finókio)

•   Finocchio on the Italian Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^it

• fiocchino