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apparecchio

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word apparecchio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation, Semantic loan
First attested
1340 before 1340, Ciampolo di Meo Ugurgieri More words from the 14th century
Ultimate origin
Latin parō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Italian apparecchiare
Italian apparecchio

Pronunciation

  • /ap.paˈrek.kjo/[1]

Forms

apparecchio m (plural apparecchi)[1] Old forms include aparecchio, apparechio and apparichio.[2]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun: it is from Italian apparecchiare (“to prepare”).[3][4][2][1] In the senses “device” and “aeroplane” it is a calque of French appareil.[3][5][6][7] The LEI groups it with parecchio, the deverbal of the shortened verb, and compares Old French appareil (“preparations”).[8]

Apparecchiare goes back to Vulgar Latin *appariculāre, formed on Latin apparō (“to prepare”), which is parō (“to prepare”) with ad-.[3][9][8] The same Latin verb gave French appareiller, Occitan aparelhar, Catalan aparellar, Spanish aparejar and Portuguese aparelhar.[9][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Sienese Ciampolo di Meo Ugurgieri (before 1340), in the sense “preparation”, the preliminary steps for a war, an enterprise or a feast.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian apparecchio was the whole of the preparations, and then the things prepared: an army in array, the equipment and baggage of war, a laid table, furnishings.[2] Giovanni Villani writes that King Charles fece grande apparecchio per passare in Sicilia, “made great preparations to cross to Sicily”.[10][11] This sense is now literary.[5][6]

Under the influence of French appareil, the word came to mean a mechanical device: DELI dates this to a Milanese printed text of 1811.[3] The sense “aeroplane” is in D'Annunzio in 1910;[3][12] DEI dates it from 1914 and points to French appareil d'aviation of 1906.[3][12] Later senses include the telephone receiver, orthopaedic and dental devices (l’apparecchio for children's teeth), and the dressing of stones in masonry.[4][7]

Timeline

  • Before 1340 – Ciampolo di Meo Ugurgieri uses apparecchio for “preparation”.[2]
  • 1811 – The sense “device, machine” is recorded in Milan.[3]
  • 1906 – French appareil d'aviation is recorded.[12]
  • 1910 – D'Annunzio uses apparecchio for an aeroplane.[3]
  • 1914 – DEI's first date for the aircraft sense.[12]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A device, apparatus or appliance made for a particular purpose: apparecchio fotografico, apparecchio radio.[4][5][6]
  2. A telephone: Resti all’apparecchio, gliela passo.[4]
  3. An aeroplane or other aircraft.[4][5][6]
  4. (medicine) A device that corrects a deformity or keeps a joint still; especially dental braces: A dodici anni dovette mettere l’apparecchio.[4][5][13]
  5. (literary) The whole of the preparations for something; the equipment made ready: apparecchio bellico.[4][5][11]
  6. (architecture) The cut and arrangement of the stones in walls, arches and vaults.[4][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  7. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 1, 550
  8. ^ a b c Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 3, 191
  9. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  10. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  12. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 251
  13. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  14. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
Cite this entry

“Apparecchio.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/apparecchio. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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