Rizzio

American  

[rit-see-oh, reet-, reet-tsyaw] / ˈrɪt siˌoʊ, ˈrit-, ˈrit tsyɔ /

noun

1. David 1533?–66, Italian musician: private foreign secretary to Mary, Queen of Scots 1564–66.

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Rizzio British  

/ ˈrɪtsɪəʊ /

noun

1. David . ?1533–66, Italian musician and courtier who became the secretary and favourite of Mary, Queen of Scots. He was murdered at the instigation of a group of nobles, including Mary's husband, Darnley

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Example Sentences

Parking Services Coordinator Patti Rizzio says some students and employees donate items even without fines to forgive.

From Washington Times

Her generosity is embodied in some of Ronan’s warmest scenes, in which Mary shares laughter and tears with her ladies in waiting, forgives her own confidante David Rizzio for his dalliance with her new husband, Lord Darnley — and is shattered when her own conspiring countrymen murder Rizzio in front of her eyes on trumped up charges.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s true that Rizzio became one of Mary’s confidants, playing cards with her nightly and assisting with her correspondence once she retained him as her secretary.

From Slate

The men around her didn’t believe that she could have come to her own decision about her future husband, so they concluded that she was led astray by the Catholic Rizzio whispering in her ear.

From Slate

It’s become popular for Rizzio to be coded as gay in more recent adaptations, including the CW’s Reign and the 1971 movie Mary Queen of Scots.

From Slate