cicero wrote: > The Bibliographer wrote: >> I am trying to pin down the word "cefame." It appears in an Italian >> manuscript that has been dated to about 1450-1460. It may be a term >> in Italian cookery of the time. >> >> Would anyone who has ever encountered this word please tell me about >> it. >> >> Thanks very much for any help. > > Please, report the whole phrase, the context. > ciao > cicero Possible : from greek kephale (head, caput). So "cefame" can indicate animal's snout. Termination "-ame" usually marks bad or not first quality things. The same origin of the following words : - ceffone, ceffata (unusual) : slap in the face ; - ceffo : ugly face, muzzle - cefalico : cephalic and compounds "cefalopatia", "acefalo" (without head), etc. But without reading the whole phrase....I'm not sure ciao cicero