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I've been told that this name means 'kill cats' in Italian. Is this correct and what is the origin of this surname?
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It infuriates me to be wrong when I know I'm right. - Molière
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Replies
Mazzagatti does indeed literally mean 'kill cats' but it's really a colorful word for a type of pistol. You can see a picture of it at http://tr.im/kjg4
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However this sicilian surname is originally a nickname.
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As for its etymology, Mazzagatti can also be compared with some other Italian surnames having a similar meaning, such as Pelagatti (literally 'cat skinner'), Scanagatta (literally 'cat slaughterer'), Pelagagge (literally 'magpie skinner'), etc.
In the past, these expressions were used either as occupational names or as derogatory nicknames: in Old Italian, for example, a 'pelacani' (literally 'dog skinner') was either a tanner or, in a figurative meaning, a "low-class and coarse person" (see http://dizionari.hoepli.it/Dizionario_Italiano/parola/pelacani.aspx?idD=1&Query=pelacani&lettera=P), a 'pelagatti' was a nickname for a 'swindler', a 'cheat' (see http://dizionari.hoepli.it/Dizionario_Italiano/parola/pelagatti.aspx?idD=1&Query=pelagatti&lettera=P), a 'pelagrilli' (literally 'cricket skinner') was a nickname for a 'stingy' or 'tight-fisted' person (see http://dizionari.hoepli.it/Dizionario_Italiano/parola/pelagrilli.aspx?idD=1&Query=pelagrilli&lettera=P), etc.
In the past, these expressions were used either as occupational names or as derogatory nicknames: in Old Italian, for example, a 'pelacani' (literally 'dog skinner') was either a tanner or, in a figurative meaning, a "low-class and coarse person" (see http://dizionari.hoepli.it/Dizionario_Italiano/parola/pelacani.aspx?idD=1&Query=pelacani&lettera=P), a 'pelagatti' was a nickname for a 'swindler', a 'cheat' (see http://dizionari.hoepli.it/Dizionario_Italiano/parola/pelagatti.aspx?idD=1&Query=pelagatti&lettera=P), a 'pelagrilli' (literally 'cricket skinner') was a nickname for a 'stingy' or 'tight-fisted' person (see http://dizionari.hoepli.it/Dizionario_Italiano/parola/pelagrilli.aspx?idD=1&Query=pelagrilli&lettera=P), etc.
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According to Fucilla, Mazzagatti belongs with the group of names that have to do with "offensive weapons and defensive armor" such as Tromboni, Pistone, Trabucco, Fucile, Schioppo, Battifuoco, Moschetti, Mascolo, Cannone, and many others which "are apt to indicate makers-dealers or bearers."
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