Abstract
This contribution focuses on the figure of the donkey. In the first paragraph, it
provides historical-symbolic and biblical references about the animal; then, starting from
lexicographic tools, it offers a brief etymological history of the words ‘asino’ and ‘sceccu’.
The article aims to provide a study on the geographical distribution in Sicily of some donkey
ethnic nicknames, characterized by different categories of meaning.
Keywords: donkey; ASES; ethnic-nicknames; Sicily; dialect.