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Etymology and origin of the Italian word -esimo

-esimo1 ordinal suffix

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1294 before 1294, Latini (in ventesimo)
Inherited from
Latin -esimus
Ultimate origin
Latin -ēsimus

Pronunciation

  • /ˈɛ.zi.mo/, /ˈe.zi.mo/[1]

Forms

-esimo (adjective-forming suffix, feminine -esima, masculine plural -esimi, feminine plural -esime)[1]

Etymology

The ordinal suffix is inherited from Latin -ēsimus, taken from ordinals such as centēsimus (“hundredth”).[2][3][4][5][1] In Latin it was an enlargement of the ending of vīcēsimus (“twentieth”), extended to the word for “hundredth”, millēsimus (“thousandth”) and others.[6] The Latin “hundredth” itself probably replaced an older *cēsimus, from Proto-Italic *kent-tamo-, remodelled after the word for “twentieth”.[1] Zingarelli traces the suffix to a superlative suffix of Italic and Celtic.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Among the ordinals with the suffix, DELI dates ventesimo before 1294 in Latini, as a noun meaning “twentieth part”, and as an ordinal in Dante (1300–1313).[8]

Semantic evolution

Italian uses the suffix for every ordinal after decimo: undicesimo, ventesimo, centesimo, millesimo.[4][7][2] Undicesimo is recorded only from Redi, before 1698.[8] In mathematics it is attached to a letter or a number, as in ennesimo (n-th).[5]

Timeline

  • Before 1294 – Latini uses ventesimo for a twentieth part.[8]
  • 1300–1313 – Dante uses ventesimo as an ordinal.[8]
  • Before 1698 – Redi uses undicesimo.[8]

Meanings

Suffix

  1. Forms the ordinal numbers after decimo: undicesimo, ventesimo, trentesimo, centesimo, and most of them are also nouns for fractions: un ventesimo, a twentieth.[2][3][4][7][8]
  2. (mathematics) Added to a letter or number for the place of that rank: ennesimo, i-esimo.[5]

Word family

  • undicesimo
  • ventesimo
  • trentesimo
  • centesimo
  • millesimo
  • ennesimo

-esimo2 abstract-noun suffix

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1200s Malispini (in cristianesimo)
Inherited from
Latin -ismus
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek -ισμός

Pronunciation

  • /ˈe.zi.mo/, /ˈɛ.zi.mo/[1]

Forms

-esimo m (noun-forming suffix, plural -esimi)[1]

Etymology

The abstract-noun suffix is inherited from Latin -ismus, in its popular form, beside the learned -ismo.[2][3][1] The Latin suffix is from Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós), which formed nouns of practice or doctrine from verbs in -ίζω (-ízō).[2][1] In the popular form the vowel before the suffix's ⟨sm⟩ became /e/ and a vowel grew between the /s/ and the /m/.[4][2] Compare Sicilian -ìsimu.[1] Old Italian also had a shorter -esmo, as in Dante's battesmo.[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The suffix first shows in words taken from Church Latin: baptismo before 1089, battesimo in Compagni (1310–1312), and cristianesimo in the 13th century, in Malispini.[8]

Semantic evolution

Italian later formed new words with it, such as incantesimo (1292).[2][10] umanesimo was formed in 1891, perhaps under the influence of German Humanismus.[8][10] Many words have both forms, as umanesimo and umanismo.[4][11]

Timeline

  • Before 1089 – Baptismo in an Umbrian confession formula.[8]
  • 13th century – Cristianesimo in Malispini.[8]
  • 1292 – Incantesimo is first recorded.[2]
  • 1300–1313 – Dante writes battesmo.[8]
  • 1891 – Umanesimo is first recorded.[8][2]

Meanings

Suffix

  1. Forms masculine abstract nouns, especially names of religions, doctrines and cultural movements; often beside a form in -ismo: cristianesimo, umanesimo, feudalesimo, urbanesimo, incantesimo.[2][3][4][11]

Word family

  • cristianesimo
  • battesimo
  • incantesimo
  • umanesimo
  • feudalesimo
  • urbanesimo
  • -ismo
  • Latin -esimus
  • Latin -ismus

Usage notes

Nocentini and Sabatini–Coletti mark the ordinal suffix with an open /ɛ/ and the abstract-noun suffix with a closed /e/.[2][4] Wiktionary gives both pronunciations for each.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  7. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org
  10. ^ a b De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“-esimo.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/-esimo. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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