Cristo

Forms

Cristo m^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin Chrīstus, the name in the Latin of the Church.^[2][3][4][5] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós), literally “the anointed one”, a proper-noun use of the verbal adjective meaning “anointed”, from χρίω (khríō, “to anoint”).^[2][3][1][6] DELI thinks the Greek verb is probably of Indo-European origin.^[2]

The Greek title is a calque of Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (māšīaḥ, “anointed (of the Lord)”), which the Old Testament gives to kings chosen by God and which Italian has as messia.^{[3][7][8][1][4]} GRADIT and Sabatini–Coletti name instead the Aramaic ܡܫܺܝܚܳܐ (m'šīḥāʾ).^[5][9][1] The same name is French Christ and Spanish Cristo, and it has spread to every European language.^[3]

Its derivatives reached Italian by the learned or half-learned route: cristiano from christiānus, cristianità from Late Latin christiānitās, and cristianesimo from christianismus, with an ⟨i⟩ inserted in the cluster ⟨sm⟩.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Giacomo da Lentini, in 1250, where the word is the title of Jesus, meaning the Anointed, the one consecrated by the Lord.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In the Bible translations and the religious prose of the 14th century cristo was also a common noun for anyone consecrated by holy anointing, as kings and priests were among the Hebrews: Cavalca, before 1342, has Non vogliate toccare i cristi miei (“Touch not my anointed ones”), and Catherine of Siena writes that God calls his ministers i cristi suoi, his anointed.^[10][6][11] This use survives only in literature.^[6] As the title given to Jesus in the New Testament, the word came to be used like a second name: Gesù Cristo, or simply Cristo.^[6][8] Dante uses it for the Christian faith itself: predicò Cristo, “preached Christ”, before the Sultan.^[6] Phrases such as anni di Cristo and later avanti Cristo and dopo Cristo count the years from Christ's birth.^[6][7]

From the 16th century the word also names an image of Christ, usually on the cross: Cellini, before 1571, mentions certi Cristi di un palmo, small Christs a span high made of thin gold plate.^[2][6] In colloquial use it became an oath and an exclamation of anger or surprise, and DEI notes the many euphemisms that replace it, such as cribbio.^[6][4][12] Fixed phrases include non c'è Cristo (“there's no way”), recorded in Giusti and Silone, senza tanti cristi (“without fuss”), in Verga, and povero cristo, a poor wretch.^[6][8][9]

Timeline

• 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses Cristo as the title of Jesus.^[2][3]
• Before 1306 – the first record GRADIT gives.^[5]
• Before 1342 – Cavalca uses cristo for anyone anointed by God.^[10]
• Before 1571 – Benvenuto Cellini uses Cristo for an image of Christ.^[2]
• 1847 – Vincenzo Gioberti uses the derivative cristologia.^[2]

Meanings

Proper noun

1. Christ, the title of Gesù of Nazareth, the Messiah and, in Christian belief, the Son of God: Molti pellegrini vengono a pregare Cristo in questa chiesa.^[5][7][9][8]

Noun

1. An image of Christ, painted or carved, usually on the cross; a crucifix: Sull'altare c'era un Cristo di legno dipinto.^{[5][7][12][2]}
2. (colloquial, often lowercase) A wretched, ill-treated person who inspires pity: povero cristo is a poor wretch.^[12][9][8]
3. (colloquial) A tall, heavily built man.^[5]
4. (colloquial, lowercase) A tumble, a heavy fall.^[5]
5. (obsolete) Someone anointed and consecrated by God, as kings and priests were.^[10][6][12]

Interjection

1. (vulgar) Expresses anger, astonishment or frustration.^{[5][12][8][1]}

Word family

• cristiano
• cristianesimo
• cristianità
• cristianizzare
• cristologia
• anticristo

Related words

• cristocentrismo
• cristolatria
• crocifisso
• Gesù
• messia
• cribbio
• Latin Christus
• Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós)

Usage notes

In the name of Jesus the word is always capitalised, while in images and in colloquial phrases and oaths it is also written in lowercase.^[5][8] In the language of the Church it is often used with the article: il Cristo.^[8] As an oath it is often replaced by euphemisms.^[4][12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d e f g Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1165
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
9. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli