paparazzo

[ pah-puh-raht-soh; Italian pah-pah-raht-tsaw ]

/ ˌpɑ pəˈrɑt soʊ; Italian ˌpɑ pɑˈrɑt tsɔ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paparazzo ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural pa·pa·raz·zi [pah-puh-raht-see; Italian pah-pah-raht-tsee] /ˌpɑ pəˈrɑt si; Italian ˌpɑ pɑˈrɑt tsi/.

a freelance photographer, especially one who takes candid pictures of celebrities for publication.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

papandreou, george, papanicolaou smear, papanicolaou stain, papanicolaou test, paparazzi, paparazzo, papauma, papaveraceous, papaverine, papaw, papaya

Origin of paparazzo

1965–70; < Italian, from the surname of such a photographer in Federico Fellini's La dolce vita (1959), after the name of a hotelkeeper in George Gissing's By the Ionian Sea (1901), read by Fellini in It translation at the time of the movie's producton

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for paparazzo

Paparazzo was, in fact, the name of a photographer in his film.
Exposed: Paparazzi vs. the Stars Over the Past 50 Years|Sarah Moroz|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the paparazzo pestered him again, asking, “So he could do without the Grammys?”
Justin Bieber Freaks Out Over Grammys, Feuds With the Black Keys|Marlow Stern|February 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“We called him BK Boy and he gets upset,” says a New York City paparazzo who frequently stalks the couple.
Anne Hathaway's New Fiancé, Adam Shulman, a Mystery Man|Diane Herbst|December 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The paparazzo ruffled and out a functioning camera, then threatened Madoff Mack with a lawsuit.
Madoff's Daughter-in-Law Speaks Out|Sara Gilford|October 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Shockingly the film also contains a paparazzo picture of Diana dying.
Princess Diana’s 50th Birthday: The ‘Unanswered Questions’|Martyn Gregory|July 1, 2011|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for paparazzo

paparazzo

/ (ˌpæpəˈrætsəʊ) /

noun plural -razzi (-ˈrætsiː)

a freelance photographer who specializes in candid camera shots of famous people and often invades their privacy to obtain such photographs

Word Origin for paparazzo

C20: from Italian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for paparazzo

paparazzo

see paparazzi.