Venetian Vocabulary Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sequin

A sequin is a shiny bead used to decorate various articles of clothing, ranging from dresses to shoes, and handbags. The zechin was a gold ducat coin used as currency in Venice. After Napoleon invaded Italy, the zechin fell out of use. Instead the French began to call the early sequins, made of shiny metals, after the coin.

Answer: Ciao

Ciao is commonly used as a casual greeting, along the lines of "Hi!". The word 's-ciao' meant servant or slave in Venetian and the greeting was used to mean 'at your service'. Eventually it was absorbed into Italian as a form of greeting, from where it came to English.

Answer: True

In 16th century Venice, Gheto was an area where the Jews were confined to live. It was named after a foundry located there. The word then came to English, via Italian, and came to mean a part of city with a major Jewish population. The word has always had a negative connotation indicating a segregation of the population, especially an ethnic group or minority community that is not treated well. During Hitler's conquest of Europe, ghettos arose in various parts of the continent.

Answer: Pants

The words pants is a shortened form of pantaloons, which itself was derived from Pantalone, a character from Commedia dell'arte, a form of comedic Italian theater. This form of theater had stock characters, one of which was Pantalone, a character associated with Venetians. According to one theory, Pantalone was named after Saint Pantalone, a saint popular among the Venetians, while another claims that the name is derived from the term used for Venetian merchants. Pantalone's costume included long red trousers which led to the name pantaloons for such an attire.

Answer: Lagoon

A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger water body by small islands or reefs. The Venetian Lagoon is such a type of bay, separated from the larger Adriatic Sea. Called Laguna Veneta in Venetian, it is the origin for the word lagoon in the English language. Its ultimate roots can be traced to the Latin word for lake.

Answer: Banking

A giro is a form of money transfer. The word giro means circle or turn as it refers to the transfer of money from one account to another. Whilst some form of giro payment systems can be traced as far back as Ancient Egypt, the practice was named after the Venetian bank called Banco del Ziro or Bancoziro located at Rialto in Venice.

Answer: Regatta

Regatta comes from the Venetian word regata which means to compete or contest. The term is now used to describe a series of boat races. Well known regattas include the America's Cup, the Sydney Australia Day regatta, and the Henley Royal Regatta on England's River Thames.

Answer: Montenegro

Montenegro is located on the Balkan Peninsula and borders the Adriatic Sea. The country derives its name from the Venetian words for 'black mountain'. The reason for this is the appearance of Mount Lovcen, the highest point of the country. Being covered with thick, dense forests, the mountain gives a dark appearance and led to the name of Montenegro.

Answer: Gazette

In the 16th century, when the state of Venice was at war with the Ottoman Empire, the government decided to publish a periodical that disseminated important news to all residents. To encourage readership, the cost was kept low and such a news digest could be purchased for the cost of a gazetta, a Venetian coin.

This led to the periodical being called the gazette, a term that soon became widespread for a form of official communication.

Answer: Forty

Quarantine is derived from the Venetian term 'quarantena'. In the 14-15th century, when Europe was in the throes of the Black Death epidemic, the practice of quarantine was adopted by Venice. All ships coming in to Venice, were required to be quarantined or isolated for a period of forty days, before any passengers or crew members were allowed to disembark.