Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca

The Vocabolario degli Accademici della Crusca is an Italian dictionary first published in 1612 by the Crusca Academy. Founded in Florence in 1582, the academy's primary goal was to purify the Tuscan dialect, which was becoming the standard for Italian literature. The academy's members, known as linguistic conservatives, aimed to sift out impure language, much like sifting bran (crusca) from grain. They meticulously studied the works of Petrarch and Boccaccio to establish linguistic norms. The Vocabolario became an authoritative source, influencing the Italian language for centuries. The term "Della-Cruscan" also describes an affected literary style championed by the academy and later adopted by some English writers.12