n. pl. ciop·pi·nos A stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish, tomatoes, and wine. [Originally an American Italian term (both the word and the dish being unknown in Italy) used by Italian-American fisherman of the San Francisco Bay area, from alteration (influenced by standard Italian word formation) of Ligurian ciuppin, stew or thick soup of puréed fish and vegetables : Ligurian ciuppar, to dip, dunk (akin to Italian zuppa, soup, from Old Italian, soup of bread sops in broth, possibly back-formed from inzuppare, to dunk, sop : Old Italian in-, in, into, from Latin in; see IN-2 + Old French soupe, soup; see SOUP) + Ligurian -in, diminutive suffix (akin to Italian -ino).] |
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