A grammatical interjection originating from the Piedmontese language (or dialect) native to northwestern Italy and, in particular, the province of
Piedmont. The word is usually uttered as a
benign expletive, and indicated in English writing with an exclamation mark.
There is no literal translation to other languages from Piedmontese (It:
Piemontèis) simply because it is an expletive used to convey a sense of startled astonishment or wonder, sometimes with an undertone of slight concern. Likewise, there is no derogatory or complimentary meaning or connotation assigned to the word.
The word first came to be widely recognised when the Italian car maker, Lamborghini, introduced it's
prototype of the Lamborghini Countach to the world at the 1971
Geneva Motor Show.