a lake dwelling or settlement of lake dwellings, esp. those whose remains survive in mounds in the Po valley of N Italy
Word origin
[1865–70; ‹ It dial., prob. assimilation of L terra mala bad earth]This word is first recorded in the period 1865–70. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: black belt, goulash, maverick, steamroller, tick-tack-toe