cicisbeo

1 of 2

noun (1)

ci·​cis·​beo ˌchē-chəz-ˈbā-(ˌ)ō How to pronounce cicisbeo (audio)
plural cicisbei ˌchē-chəz-ˈbā-ˌē How to pronounce cicisbeo (audio)
: lover, gallant
cicisbeism
ˌchē-chəz-ˈbā-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce cicisbeo (audio)
noun

cicisbeism

2 of 2

noun (2)

ci·​cis·​be·​ism ˌchē-chəz-ˈbā-ˌi-zəm How to pronounce cicisbeism (audio)
plural -s
: the social institution of the cicisbeo

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Italian

Noun (2)

Italian cicisbeismo, from cicisbeo + -ismo -ism

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1718, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cicisbeo was in 1718

Browse Nearby Words

cicisbeism
cicisbeo
Ciconia
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cicisbeo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cicisbeo. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All