'arriccio' originates from Italian, specifically the noun 'arriccio' (from the verb 'arricciare'), where 'arricciare' meant 'to curl, ruffle' and was used in building contexts to indicate a roughened or textured surface.

'arriccio' developed in Italian (Middle/Modern Italian) from the verb 'arricciare'; the term has been used in art and architectural contexts in Italian and was later borrowed unchanged into English technical vocabulary for fresco and plaster work.

Initially related to the idea of a 'roughened' or 'ruffled' surface (from 'to curl/ruffle'), the term later specialized to mean the coarse preparatory plaster layer used before the smooth finishing coat (intonaco).