# Italian speakers: What does "zampotti" mean in English? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 19, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613 "2007-06-19T18:12:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/1 "2007-06-19T18:12:14Z")
That’s all! Can’t seem to find a translation of it online. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/2 "2007-06-19T18:18:29Z")
Can you give me some context? I think it is a surname, myself. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/3 "2007-06-19T18:26:52Z")
It’s a surname, but for a character in a book who is a cat. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/4 "2007-06-19T19:12:43Z")
[QUOTE=toadspittle] What does “zampotti” mean in English? [/QUOTE] [pendant] _zampotti_ doesn’t mean anything in English. Surely you want to know what it means in Italian. [/pendant] ---
**Author:** ![typo\_mna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb8c5e/32.png) [@typo\_mna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typo_mna)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/5 "2007-06-19T19:15:20Z")
Pendant? Are those, perhaps, supposed to be pedant tags? ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/6 "2007-06-19T19:23:33Z")
[QUOTE=typo mna] Pendant? Are those, perhaps, supposed to be pedant tags? [/QUOTE] Gah! I mean, I was trying to see if you were paying attention. Gaudere’s Law and all. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/7 "2007-06-19T19:35:14Z")
[QUOTE=typo mna] Pendant? Are those, perhaps, supposed to be pedant tags? [/QUOTE] Well, they’re just hanging there… ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/8 "2007-06-19T19:45:32Z")
[QUOTE=Pleonast] [pendant] _zampotti_ doesn’t mean anything in English. Surely you want to know what it means in Italian. [/pendant] [/QUOTE] Well it means zampotti in Italian he wants it translated into English. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/9 "2007-06-19T20:32:51Z")
I think it means “Paws”. Haven’t been to Italy in over ten years but it sounds familiar. ---
**Author:** ![Ponster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponster/32/17081_2.png) [@Ponster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponster)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/10 "2007-06-19T20:34:38Z")
It has to be a plural because of the “i” ending and I’m going with “paws” or “little paws” off the top of my head. In Italian, the saying about curiosity killing the cat, has him leaving his “zamponi” behind him. For singular nouns an “one” ending can denote " “biggness” - sort of the opposite to a diminutive, thus a tall round Giacomo was known as “Giacomone” my large brother as “fratellone”, I don’t see why it couldn’t be made plural for the rhyme by changing the “e” to an “i”. I’d guess that the root noun could be “zampo”. Just a guess. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/11 "2007-06-19T20:55:32Z")
[QUOTE=Ponster] It has to be a plural because of the “i” ending and I’m going with “paws” or “little paws” off the top of my head. In Italian, the saying about curiosity killing the cat, has him leaving his “zamponi” behind him. For singular nouns an “one” ending can denote " “biggness” - sort of the opposite to a diminutive, thus a tall round Giacomo was known as “Giacomone” my large brother as “fratellone”, I don’t see why it couldn’t be made plural for the rhyme by changing the “e” to an “i”. I’d guess that the root noun could be “zampo”. Just a guess. [/QUOTE] Ah! That makes sense. Looking online, I see now that “zampa” is Italian for “paw”. And the character’s name in English is “Furrypaws.” I guess the translator went with something like “Littlepaws.” ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/12 "2007-06-20T02:22:34Z")
[QUOTE=Ponster] … leaving his “zamponi” behind him. [/QUOTE] Makes sense - hockey season is done (finally). ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/13 "2007-06-20T02:48:34Z")
While we’re at it, what do “zapristi” and “semprini” mean? ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/14 "2007-06-20T02:57:34Z")
[QUOTE=Askance] While we’re at it, what do “zapristi” and “semprini” mean? [/QUOTE] I don’t know about “zapristi” but how dare you use that second one! 😃 ::monty python joke:: ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/15 "2007-06-20T05:12:39Z")
Sounds like a French taboo-deformation that replaces a profanity. “Sapristi” substitutes for “sang de Christ” or Latin _sanguis Christi_ ‘blood of Christ’. I’m guessing someone took the French word and Italianized it or something. ---
**Author:** ![askeptic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/16 "2007-06-20T05:33:49Z")
[QUOTE=Johanna] Sounds like a French taboo-deformation that replaces a profanity. “Sapristi” substitutes for “sang de Christ” or Latin _sanguis Christi_ ‘blood of Christ’. I’m guessing someone took the French word and Italianized it or something. [/QUOTE] [nope.](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=semprini) Not that complicated. ETA:Never mind. You were talking about the other one. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/17 "2007-06-20T07:16:47Z")
[QUOTE=toadspittle] Ah! That makes sense. Looking online, I see now that “zampa” is Italian for “paw”. And the character’s name in English is “Furrypaws.” I guess the translator went with something like “Littlepaws.” [/QUOTE] Actually, zamponi would be “big paws”, zampetti would be “little paws” ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2007, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/18 "2007-06-20T12:23:48Z")
Interestingly, in the Bavarian dialect a small dog (either in size or age) is called a “Zamperl”. I never knew that came from the Italian language… ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2007, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/19 "2007-06-21T05:25:40Z")
“zapristi” was used a lot in the Goon Show, usually as an exclamation by Moriarty. Sometimes it was “zapristi bompets!”. I assumed the last word was the usual Milligan nonsense but zapristi sounded more like a real word somehow. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613/20 "2007-06-23T02:03:26Z")
[QUOTE=Anaglyph] Actually, zamponi would be “big paws”, zampetti would be “little paws” [/QUOTE] But it’s “zampotti.” Best of both words/worlds? “Perfectly averaged-sized paws?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-speakers-what-does-zampotti-mean-in-english/408613.md?page=2)