balilla
|ba-lil-la|
/bəˈliːlə/
little boy (symbolic youth/insurrection)
Etymology
'balilla' originates from the Genoese (Ligurian) dialect, specifically the word 'balilla', where it meant 'little boy' or 'little rascal'.
'balilla' was used as a local nickname for a boy (Giovan Battista Perasso) in 18th-century Genoa; the name later became a patriotic symbol and was adopted in the 20th century for the Fascist youth organization Opera Nazionale Balilla and for the Fiat 508 Balilla automobile model.
Initially, it meant 'little boy' (a personal nickname), but over time it evolved to denote both members of a Fascist-era youth organization and a specific car model.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a historical nickname of Giovan Battista Perasso, a Genoese boy traditionally said to have started the 1746 uprising against occupying forces by throwing a stone; used as a proper name in accounts of the event.
The story of balilla is often told as an example of spontaneous popular resistance.
Noun 2
a member of the Opera Nazionale Balilla (ONB), the Fascist youth organization in Italy (1926–1937); used generically to refer to boys belonging to that organization.
Many young boys in the 1930s were enrolled as balilla as part of state youth programs.
Synonyms
Noun 3
the Fiat 508 Balilla, a model of small car produced by Fiat in the early 1930s; 'balilla' used as the model name.
He found a rare prewar balilla in a barn and began restoring it.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/05 10:32