arancinu

== Sicilian == === Alternative forms === arancina (feminine variant) ârancinu, ârancina (crasis with definite article) === Etymology === From aranciu (“orange”) +‎ -inu (masculine diminutive suffix). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /a.ɾanˈt͡ʃi.nu/, [a.ɾanˈt͡ʃi.nʊ] Hyphenation: a‧ran‧cì‧nu === Noun === arancinu m (plural arancini or arancina) arancino (baked stuffed rice ball from Sicily) Synonym: arancina ==== Usage notes ==== Since it is a noun that begins with a vowel, this – both in the singular and in the plural – can be named either with the use of a liquid article l', or with an illiquid one u (m.s.)/a (f.s.), or even a cratic one indicated with the circumflex article on the first vowel â-. In the part of Sicily that's in the Palermitan sphere, that is to say western Sicily, the feminine variant arancina is used, while the masculine form is preferred in some Eastern/Catanese sphere of influence. Using the wrong variant in the wrong area is seen very negatively by locals, according to popular tellings and Internet culture. Diachronically, it is possible to observe variations in grammatical gender usate among new and old generations of speakers, with an ever-increasing influence of the masculine as the term's ending. It remains to be seen whether the masculine has increased following the borrowing of the word arancino into Italian, thus configuring possibly a “gender reborrowing” into Sicilian. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Italian: arancino → English: arancino === See also ===