stucco

Where does the word "stucco" come from? It comes from Lombardic stuhhi, passing through Italian before entering English (1590s).

Stucco’s story begins in Lombardic: stuhhi meant “crust.” A crust or piece, a Germanic word of the Lombards. By 1400s, the word had taken hold in Italian as stucco. Renaissance and Baroque craftsmen made lavish stucco decoration. It reached English by 1590s as stucco. Borrowed for rendered plaster walls and moulding. Today, stucco means fine plaster used on walls and ceilings.

1. Stage 1 · Lombardic · medieval stuhhi "crust", a crust or piece, a Germanic word of the Lombards.
2. Stage 2 · Italian · 1400s stucco "plaster", Renaissance and Baroque craftsmen made lavish stucco decoration.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1590s stucco "plaster", borrowed for rendered plaster walls and moulding.