mignotta.

Uncertain. Perhaps a borrowing or parallel formation of French mignotte f (“favourite/favorite”), which is a different spelling of French mignonne f (“gentle, kind, cute”). Compare also Catalan minyona (“maid, menial”) and Occitan minhòt (“favorite, cute”). Traditionally thought to be derived as a spelling pronunciation of m. ignotae (Latin matris ignotae (“of unknown mother”)), used in name registers for foundlings. The shift from “unknown mother” to “whore” would allegedly have happened through the phrase figlio di una mignotta (“son of an unknown mother; foundling”), which merged semantically with similar formations like figlio di puttana, figlio di buona madre, etc. all meaning “son of a whore”.