Fasci is Italian for bundles and associated with insignia of a sheaf of hay or rods, adorned with an ax carried before a magistrate in processions. So, no, it w

Fasci is Italian for bundles and associated with insignia of a sheaf of hay or rods, adorned with an ax carried before a magistrate in processions. So, no, it wasn't completely benign before either. However, the militant associations you mention were "fascista", specifically "partitio fascista rivoluzionario", and I don't exactly speak Italian so I couldn't tell if the meaning was ambiguous, or rather, what the ambiguity is. fascio it also meant burden, load; high office in Latin. Compare German "Bürde" (burden) and "Würde" (dignity, honour, your honour). The root would be basket, via Celtic, whose symbolism with the Celtish Knots is loaded with wicker work imagery. Compare also braided military shoulder signs of rank. Quite wicked. Fashism is, in my humble opinion, related to fashion, French façon (way; manner; fashion) although that's said to be from faciō (do, make; compare fact), cognate with do, believe it or not. That makes sense because cloth is woven, or rather coarsely braided at times. In case of facio, it would come via factiō, factiōnem, whence also faction. That would give "Jeder nach seiner Facon" a nuance comparable to "Jedem das seine". See also: Lt. vas (vessel; bail, surety); fiction, fingere, fingo; face (capitalism), fagot, fossil, irish cognate to fashion (neck tie, leash), Fessel, fetter, fesseln, Fass, vas, fassen, erfassen, ergreifen. Pulverfass - pulp (pulp fiction - coke stories). French fascher (now fâcher), from Latin fastus (“disdain”). Fastenzeit, fascher mittwoch; Fasten. Fasten seatbelt. Fast food. Mode droge. fingo, Fink, Finca. Sphinx. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fascio#Italian https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fascio#Italian https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fascis#Latin https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fascis#Latin