zitella, n.

zitella
http://www.oed.com/dictionary/zitella_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_use
Revised 2021

# zitellanoun

## Earlier version

- zitella in OED Second Edition (1989)

## Factsheet

### What does the noun zitella mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun zitella. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

### How common is the noun zitella?

Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English

1750 | 0.0052
1760 | 0.0054
1770 | 0.0045
1780 | 0.004
1790 | 0.0038
1800 | 0.0022
1810 | 0.003
1820 | 0.0034
1830 | 0.0029
1840 | 0.0031
1850 | 0.0035
1860 | 0.0034
1870 | 0.0035
1880 | 0.0028
1890 | 0.0029
1900 | 0.0029
1910 | 0.0028
1920 | 0.0029
1930 | 0.0027
1940 | 0.0023
1950 | 0.0025
1960 | 0.0024
1970 | 0.0026
1980 | 0.003
1990 | 0.0028
2000 | 0.003
2010 | 0.0032

### How is the noun zitella pronounced?

#### British English

/zɪˈtɛlə/
zit-E-luh

#### U.S. English

/zɪˈtɛlə/
zit-E-luh

### Where does the noun zitella come from?

Earliest known use

mid 1600s

The earliest known use of the noun zitella is in the mid 1600s.

OED's earliest evidence for zitella is from before 1660, in a diary entry by John Evelyn, diarist and writer.

zitella is a borrowing from Italian.

Etymons: Italian zitella, citella.

### Nearby entries

1. zirconitic, adj. 1883–
2. zirconium, n. 1808–
3. zircon-like, adj. 1857–
4. zircono-, comb. form
5. zirconolite, n. 1957–
6. zircon-syenite, n. 1813–
7. zirconyl, n. 1887–
8. zirkelite, n. 1895–
9. zit, n. 1912–
10. zit cream, n. 1968–
11. zitella, n.a1660–
12. zit-face, n. 1974–
13. zit-faced, adj. 1971–
14. zither, n. 1831–
15. zither, v. 1889–
16. zither banjo, n. 1888–
17. zithering, adj. 1889–
18. zitherist, n. 1866–
19. zither-like, adj. 1881–
20. ziti, n. 1845–
21. zitty, adj. 1971–

## Etymology

### Summary

A borrowing from Italian.
Etymons: Italian zitella, citella.
< Italian zitella, †zittella (plural zitelle) young unmarried woman, girl, virgin (a1360), variant (chiefly regional: southern) of citella (a1258) < cita betrothed girl, bride, virgin (see ziti n.) + ‑ella…
< Italian zitella, †zittella (plural zitelle) young unmarried woman, girl, virgin (a1360), variant (chiefly regional: southern) of citella (a1258) < cita betrothed girl, bride, virgin (see ziti n.) + ‑ella ‑ella suffix.

### Notes

In the plural form zitelle after the Italian plural form.

## Meaning & use

Now rare.

1. a1660–
   In Italian contexts: a young woman, spec. one who is unmarried or a virgin.
   1. a1660

      > The Zitelle..walked in Procession to s: Peter, where the were shew'd the Veronica.

      J. Evelyn, Diary anno 1645 (1955) vol. II. 292
   2. 1670

      > The Procession of the Zitelle vpon our Ladyes day in Lent.

      S. Wilson, Lassels's Voyage of Italy (new edition) ii. 250
   3. 1679

      > A Curtizan! and a Zittella too? a pretty contradiction!

      A. Behn, Feign'd Curtizans iii. i. 24
   4. 1886

      > There were..dancing men in black and white, zingaras from Granada, and zitellas from Naples.

      B. Roosevelt, Copper Queen vol. III. iii. 55
   5. 2017

      > ‘The bosses thought that stealing from three zitelle would be like stealing candy from a baby,’ says Irene, ‘but this time they messed with the wrong zitelle.’

      Guardian (Nexis) 14 October
   1. daughter Old English–1817
      With no implication of familial relationship: a girl, a maiden, a young woman. Obsolete.
   2. maiden Old English–
      A girl; a young (unmarried) woman; = maid, n.¹ I.2a. Also: †a female infant (obsolete). Now chiefly literary, archaic, and regional.
   3. young woman Old English–
      A woman who is young; an adolescent or young adult female.
   4. may c1175–
      A maiden; a virgin; a young woman.
   5. burd c1225–1897
      A noblewoman, a lady; the female counterpart of berne (berne, n.). In later use chiefly: a young lady, a maiden. Frequently as a form of address…
   6. maid c1275–
      A girl; a young (unmarried) woman; = maiden, n. A.I.1a. (Not always distinguishable from senses I.1a and I.3.) Now archaic and regional.
   7. wench c1300–
      In neutral or positive use: a girl or young woman. Now chiefly regional.
   8. file 1303–93
      A girl, woman; also in a bad sense, a concubine.
   9. virgin c1330–
      A young (unmarried) woman; a maiden. Also figurative and in figurative contexts (see also sense A.I.3b). Now usually somewhat archaic or humorous.
   10. girl a1375–
       A young or relatively young woman. In early use frequently in gay girl. Cf. also little girl, n. A.2.
   11. damsel c1380–
       A young unmarried woman (without any connotation of rank or respect—sometimes even slightingly); a maid, maiden, girl, country lass.
   12. young lady a1393–
       A young woman, a girl; (formerly) esp. one of high social status. From the 17th cent. to the 19th cent. sometimes used to connote variously the superficiality and sentimentality, or stiffness and propriety, regarded as characteristic of young ladies. In the 19th and 20th centuries often with particular implications or connotations of social class, and avoided or preferred accordingly; see, for example, quots. 1856 and 1886. New English Dictionary (OED first edition) (1921) notes: ‘this expression is now avoided in polite use, except among some old-fashioned speakers and jocularly... At the present day, the term is frequently applied, with the intention of avoiding the supposed derogatory implication of young woman, to female shop assistants or clerks of good appearance and manners’. See also note at lady, n. I.5a.
   13. jill a1425–
       (A generic name for) a woman or girl, esp. one considered ordinary or of low social status; a lass. Formerly also: †a flirtatious or sexually…
   14. juvencle c1430
       A young woman, a girl.
   15. young person 1438–
       A young man or woman; spec. a person who is no longer considered a child, but has not reached the age of majority.
   16. domicelle a1464
       A young lady, a damsel.
   17. quean 1488–
       Scottish. Frequently in form quine. A young woman, a girl, a lass; esp. one with a youthful bloom or a healthy appearance. Also: a daughter.
   18. trull 1525–1600
       A girl. Obsolete.
   19. pullet a1533–
       figurative. A young or inexperienced person (in early use spec. a young woman). Cf. chicken, n. II.5.
   20. Tib 1533–1699
       Formerly: a typical name for a woman of lower social status, as in Tib and Tom (cf. Jack and Jill, n. 1). Also: a girl or lass, a sweetheart, a…
   21. kitty c1560–72
       A girl or young woman; sometimes (= kittie unsel) a woman regarded as of immoral character. (Cf. kittock, n.) Scottish. Obsolete.
   22. dell 1567–
       A young girl (of the vagrant class).
   23. gillian 1573–1774
       A woman; esp. a young woman; a flirtatious or sexually promiscuous woman. Also: a prostitute. Cf. jill, n. 1b.
   24. nymph 1584–
       Chiefly poetic. A beautiful young woman; a maiden, a damsel.
   25. winklot a1586
       A young woman.
   26. frotion 1587
       ? A maiden.
   27. yuffrouw 1589–
       A young lady, girl.
   28. pigeon 1592–
       A sweetheart, a darling. Frequently as a term of endearment esp. for a woman.
   29. tit 1599–
       A girl or young woman, spec. one who is disreputable or promiscuous; (in later use more generally) a woman of any age. Now slang (usually disparaging…
   30. nannicock 1600–
       derogatory. rare (archaic in later use). As a term of contempt: a young woman; (more generally) a fool.
   31. muggle 1608–17
       Probably: a young woman; (spec.) a sweetheart.
   32. gixy 1611–93
       A young woman, esp. one regarded as lustful or sexually promiscuous.
   33. infanta 1611–1751
       transferred and figurative. Applied analogously or fancifully to other young ladies. Obsolete.
   34. dill a1627
       A girl, a sweetheart.
   35. tittie a1628–
       A sister. Also (U.S.) as a form of address to an unrelated woman. Cf. kitty, n.¹
   36. whimsy 1631–39
       A young woman, regarded as sexually available or promiscuous. Obsolete. rare.
   37. ladykin 1632–
       A small or diminutive lady. Sometimes used as a term of endearment. Cf. ladyling, n.
   38. dandiprat 1638
       A boy or young man; an urchin. Occasionally also: a young woman. Obsolete.
   39. stammel 1639–1735
       (See quots.)
   40. moggy 1648–
       colloquial (originally and chiefly Scottish and English regional). Originally: a girl, a young woman. Later: an untidily dressed woman. Now rare.
   41. zitella a1660–
       In Italian contexts: a young woman, spec. one who is unmarried or a virgin.
   42. miss 1668–
       Applied to a girl or a woman. A young unmarried woman; a girl, esp. a schoolgirl, or one who has recently left school. Frequently used contemptuously…
   43. baby 1684–
       colloquial. A lover; (also) a spouse. As a term of endearment: darling, sweetheart. Cf. babe, n. 4b.
   44. baggage 1693–
       Worthless things, rubbish, and other depreciative senses. In affectionate or playful use: a woman or girl considered to be impudent, audacious, exasperating, or foolish. Cf. minx, n. 2, hussy, n. 2a, etc…
   45. burdie 1718–1872
       A young woman; a maiden.
   46. demoiselle 1720
       Originally: a young, unmarried lady; a maid, a damsel (now historical). Later more generally: a young woman; a girl. Cf. mademoiselle, n. 2a.
   47. queanie?1800–
       A young girl or woman; a daughter; = quean, n. 2.
   48. intombi 1809–
       (See quot. 1913.)
   49. muchacha 1811–
       In Spain and Spanish-speaking countries: a girl, a young woman; a female servant.
   50. cutty a1816–
       Chiefly Scottish, English regional (northern), and Irish English (northern). An ill-behaved or troublesome girl or woman. Sometimes also used as a…
   51. jilt 1816–1908
       derogatory. Scottish. A contemptuous term for a woman or girl, esp. one of low social status. Cf. jillet, n. 2. Obsolete.
   52. titter 1819–
       A girl; a young woman.
   53. ragazza 1827–
       In Italy: a young woman, a girl. Cf. ragazzo, n.
   54. gouge 1828
       An impertinent or cunning young woman.
   55. craft 1829–
       slang. A woman, a girl. Caribbean in later use.
   56. meisie 1838–
       A girl, a young woman (esp. a white Afrikaans-speaker). Also as a form of address. Cf. meid, n.
   57. sheila 1839–
       More generally: a girl or young woman. Also: a girlfriend; a female romantic or sexual partner.
   58. sixteen c1840–
       A girl of sixteen.
   59. chica 1843–
       Originally in Spanish-speaking contexts: a girl or young woman. Also: spec. a girl or young woman of Latin American origin or descent. Frequently as…
   60. femme 1846–
       A woman; a wife; spec. (chiefly North American, esp. in the entertainment industry and in journalistic use) a young woman, a girl. Cf. sense B.1 and…
   61. muffin 1854–
       Canadian slang. A young woman, esp. one who regularly partners a particular man, by arrangement, during a social season. Now historical.
   62. gel 1857–
       A girl, a young woman.
   63. quail 1859–
       U.S. slang. Originally among students: a girl, a young woman. Cf. chick, n.¹ A.I.3.
   64. kitten 1870–
       figurative. Applied to a young girl, with implication of playfulness or skittishness. In extended use: a girl-friend; a young woman; often as a…
   65. bud 1880–
       figurative. A girl who is just ‘coming out’; a débutante. Also more fully bud of promise. Chiefly U.S. colloquial.
   66. tom-tart 1882–1912
       (Originally) a girlfriend, a sweetheart; (later) any girl or woman; cf. tart, n. 2a.i.
   67. fräulein 1883–
       A young lady, ‘miss’. Often applied in England to German governesses.
   68. sub-debutante 1887–
       A young woman approaching the age at which she may formally be presented to society at a ball or similar social occasion; a girl in her mid-to-late…
   69. sweet-and-twenty 1887–
       A Shakespearean phrase (see twenty, adj. A.2), misunderstood by later writers to mean ‘a sweet girl of twenty years old’.
   70. backfisch 1888–
       A girl in late adolescence, a teenager.
   71. flapper 1888–
       A girl in her late teens, originally one with her hair down in a pigtail; a young woman, esp. with an implication of flightiness or lack of decorum…
   72. jelly 1889–
       slang. A pretty girl; a girl-friend.
   73. queen 1894–
       Applied to a female whose authority or pre-eminence is comparable to that of a queen. slang (originally U.S.). An attractive woman; a girlfriend, a…
   74. chick 1899–
       slang (originally U.S.). A girl; a young woman.
   75. pusher 1902–
       slang (chiefly Services' slang). A girl or young woman; (also) spec. a female prostitute. Cf. earlier square-pusher, n. (a).
   76. bit of fluff 1903–
       Usually bit of fluff (cf. bit, n.² & adj.²phrases P.4d): a young woman. colloquial (now often considered offensive).
   77. chicklet 1905–
       slang. A young woman. Cf. chick, n.¹ A.I.3.
   78. twist and twirl 1905–
       With possessive adjective: a female lover or sweetheart; a girlfriend. Also occasionally more generally: a young woman, a girl. Cf. twist, n.³
   79. twist 1906–
       A young woman, a girl. Also occasionally: (with possessive adjective) a girlfriend, a female sweetheart. Cf. twist and twirl, n.
   80. head 1913–
       North American colloquial a. A fellow, a guy. b. A young woman.
   81. sub-deb 1916–
       = sub-debutante, n. Cf. deb, n.
   82. tabby 1916–
       An (attractive) young woman or girl; = tab, n.² b. slang.
   83. mouse 1917–
       U.S. slang. A young woman; a girlfriend.
   84. tittie 1918–
       A young woman, a girl, a lass.
   85. chickie 1919–
       Originally U.S. and Australian. A young woman, a girl; (in early use) esp. one regarded as an object of sexual desire. Cf. chick, n.¹ A.I.3.
   86. wren 1920–
       A woman, esp. a young woman. U.S. slang.
   87. bim 1922–
       North American slang (usually derogatory). Now somewhat rare. A young woman, esp. one regarded as a sexual object. Cf. earlier bimbo, n.² 2a.
   88. nifty 1923–
       U.S. An attractive young woman.
   89. quiff 1923–
       A young woman; spec. a prostitute. Also in extended use: a woman or women regarded as a means of sexual gratification; the vulva, the vagina.
   90. wimp 1923–
       A woman or girl.
   91. bride 1924–
       slang. A woman, esp. as a man’s (potential) sexual or romantic partner. Now rare.
   92. job 1927–
       colloquial (originally U.S.). Chiefly with modifying word. A person, esp. a young woman, of a kind specified or evident from the context.
   93. junior miss 1927–
       (Originally U.S.), a young teen-aged girl; = miss, n.² 4a; also attributive.
   94. hag 1932–
       slang. derogatory. Originally U.S. A young woman, esp. an unattractive or sexually promiscuous young woman.
   95. tab 1932–
       Australian. A young woman or girl.
   96. sort 1933–
       A girl or young woman; a girl-friend. (Predominantly in male use.) slang (originally Australian).
   97. palone 1934–
       slang. derogatory. A young woman. Also occasionally: a gay man.
   98. brush 1941–
       slang (Australian and New Zealand). Now dated and offensive. A young woman or girl, esp. one regarded as a sexual object. Also as a mass noun: such women or girls collectively.
   99. knitting 1943–
       A girl or girls. slang.
   100. bobby-soxer 1944–
        An adolescent girl, esp. one in her early teens, wearing bobby socks.
   101. teenybopper 1966–
        A young teenager or a pre-teenager, esp. a girl who is a fan of pop music and follows the latest fashions. Frequently attributive.
   102. weeny-bopper 1972–
        A very young (esp. female) pop fan (sometimes notionally of a younger age group than a teeny-bopper, but the two terms are frequently…
   103. Valley Girl 1982–
        A teenage girl from San Fernando Valley in southern California; also = Valleyspeak, n.; also attributive.
   104. breezy 1998–
        A girl or young woman; esp. one regarded as particularly sexually attractive or desirable.
   View in Historical Thesaurus

## Pronunciation

### British English

/zɪˈtɛlə/
zit-E-luh

### U.S. English

/zɪˈtɛlə/
zit-E-luh

###
Plural: zitelle

### British English

/zɪˈtɛleɪ/
zit-E-lay

### U.S. English

/zɪˈtɛleɪ/
zit-E-lay

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- ɬrhingyll
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛtl/ but /ˈpɛtl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- iːfleece
- ihappy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- atrap, bath
- ɑːstart, palm, bath
- ɒlot
- ɔːthought, force
- ʌstrut
- ʊfoot
- uːgoose
- əletter
- əːnurse
- ɪənear
- ɛːsquare
- ʊəcure
- eɪface
- ʌɪpride
- aʊmouth
- əʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ãgratin
- ɒ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

##### Consonants

- ppea
- ttea
- kkey
- bbuy
- ddye*
- ɡguy
- tʃchore
- dʒjay
- ffore
- θthaw
- ssore
- ʃshore
- vvee
- ðthee
- zzee
- ʒbeige
- xloch
- hhay
- llay
- rray
- wway
- jyore
- mmay
- nnay
- ŋsing

* /d/ also represents a 'tapped' /t/ as in

Some consonants can take the function of the vowel in unstressed syllables. Where necessary, a syllabic marker diacritic is used, hence /ˈpɛd(ə)l/ but /ˈpɛdl̩i/.

##### Vowels

- ifleece, happy
- ɪkit
- ɛdress
- ætrap, bath
- ɑlot, palm, cloth, thought
- ɑrstart
- ɔcloth, thought
- ɔrnorth, force
- ʊfoot
- ugoose
- əstrut, comma
- ərnurse, letter
- ɪ(ə)rnear
- ɛ(ə)rsquare
- ʊ(ə)rcure
- eɪface
- aɪpride
- aʊmouth
- oʊgoat
- ɔɪvoice
- ɑ̃gratin
- æ̃salon
- ᵻ(/ɪ/-/ə/)
- ᵿ(/ʊ/-/ə/)

##### Other symbols

- The symbol ˈ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with primary stress.
- The symbol ˌ at the beginning of a syllable indicates that that syllable is pronounced with secondary stress.
- Round brackets ( ) in a transcription indicate that the symbol within the brackets is optional.

View the pronunciation model here.

####

Simple text respell breaks words into syllables, separated by a hyphen. The syllable which carries the primary stress is written in capital letters. This key covers both British and U.S. English Simple Text Respell.

##### Consonants

b, d, f, h, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w and z have their standard English values

- gguy
- jjay
- yyore
- chchore
- khloch
- shshore
- ththaw
- dhthee
- zhbeige

##### Vowels

- atrap
- ahpalm
- airsquare
- arstart
- arrcarry (British only)
- awthought
- ayface
- a(ng)gratin
- edress
- eefleece
- eerdeer
- errmerry
- ikit
- ighpride
- irrmirror
- olot (British only)
- ohgoat
- oogoose
- oorcure
- orforce
- orrsorry (British only)
- owmouth
- oyvoice
- o(ng)salon
- ustrut
- uhletter
- urnurse
- urrhurry
- uufoot

## Forms

### Inflections

Plural: zitelle ( British English /zɪˈtɛleɪ/ (zit-E-lay) , U.S. English /zɪˈtɛleɪ/ (zit-E-lay) ), zitellas

### Variant forms

1. 1600s
   zittella
2. 1600s; 1800s–
   zitella

## Frequency

zitella typically occurs fewer than 0.01 times per million words in modern written English.

zitella is in frequency band 2, which contains words occurring between 0.001 and 0.01 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

### Frequency of zitella, n., 1750–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Smoothing has been applied to series for lower-frequency words, using a moving-average algorithm. This reduces short-term fluctuations, which may be produced by variability in the content of the Google Books corpus.

Decade | Frequency per million words
--- | ---
1750 | 0.0052
1760 | 0.0054
1770 | 0.0045
1780 | 0.004
1790 | 0.0038
1800 | 0.0022
1810 | 0.003
1820 | 0.0034
1830 | 0.0029
1840 | 0.0031
1850 | 0.0035
1860 | 0.0034
1870 | 0.0035
1880 | 0.0028
1890 | 0.0029
1900 | 0.0029
1910 | 0.0028
1920 | 0.0029
1930 | 0.0027
1940 | 0.0023
1950 | 0.0025
1960 | 0.0024
1970 | 0.0026
1980 | 0.003
1990 | 0.0028
2000 | 0.003
2010 | 0.0032

zitella, n. was revised in March 2021.

zitella, n. was last modified in July 2023.