Etymology and origin of the Italian word aquilone
aquilone1 kite
- Confidence
- Established
- Formation
- Derivation
- First attested
- 1786 before 1786, Gozzi
- Ultimate origin
- Latin aquila
Etymology tree of aquilone1
From the same root · aquilone1
Pronunciation
- /a.kwiˈlo.ne/[1]
Forms
aquilone m (plural aquiloni)[1]
Etymology
The word for the kite is formed from Italian aquila + -one, an augmentative of the word for the eagle.[2][3][4][5][1] Pianigiani describes it as the Tuscan name for the paper toy.[6] Italian aquila is a learned or semi-learned form of Latin aquila, beside dialect outcomes of the Latin word.[7]
Earliest recorded meaning
The first record is in Gozzi, who died in 1786, for the toy of paper stretched on two crossed canes that rises into the air on a string pulled against the wind.[2]
Semantic evolution
The modern dictionaries describe the toy as a light frame covered with paper, cloth or plastic, usually diamond-shaped, which flies on a string against the wind;[4][8][9] cervo volante is a synonym.[4][8][9] The name was extended to tethered aircraft without engines, once used for meteorological observation, and in the 20th century to the hang glider.[9][8][10] At sea an aquilone is a board towed under water at a set depth to keep the mouth of a trawl net open or to tow mines.[8][10] In the Abruzzi the dialect word means both the kite and a toy in general.[7]
Timeline
- Before 1786 – Gozzi uses aquilone for the paper kite.[2]
Meanings
Noun
- A kite: a light frame covered with paper, cloth or plastic, flown on a string against the wind: I bambini fanno volare gli aquiloni sulla spiaggia.[4][8][5]
- (sports) A hang glider.[4][8][9]
- (aeronautics) A tethered aircraft without its own engine, lifted by the wind or by being towed.[8][9][11]
- (fishing, nautical) An otter board, a board towed under water to keep a trawl open or to tow mines.[4][8][9]
Word family
- aquilonista
aquilone2 north wind
Etymology tree of aquilone2
From the same root · aquilone2
Pronunciation
- /a.kwiˈlo.ne/[1]
Forms
aquilone m (plural aquiloni)[1]
Etymology
The word for the north wind is learned: it is borrowed from Latin aquilō (“north wind”).[2][3][4][12] The same Latin word gave the learned French aquilon, Spanish aquilón and Portuguese aquilão, while it lived on as a popular word in Catalan aguiló (“north”) and aguião.[12][13]
The origin of Latin aquilō is uncertain.[2][9] Ancient grammarians (Paulus' epitome of Festus) linked it with aquila (“eagle”), likening the wind to the eagle's flight.[3][1] The OLD and Nocentini prefer aquilus (“dark, swarthy”), which Nocentini explains by the north, the direction of night and darkness, rather than by the look of the air.[14][3]
Earliest recorded meaning
Brunetto Latini uses the word around 1266 for the north and in the Tesoretto (before 1274) for the wind from the north or north-north-east.[12][15] Dante has it for the north in 1304–1308 and for the wind before 1321.[2]
Semantic evolution
In Old Italian the word named the cold, dry north wind, also called borea or tramontana, and by extension any violent, stormy wind, or figuratively adversity.[15] By a folk etymology it was sometimes pictured as a bird.[15] Il primo aquilone meant “the first chance, at once”.[15][16] The sense “north” included the North Pole and the far north of the universe, a region without the light of the sun or of grace.[15]
The adjective aquilonare “northern” followed (1320, Crescenzi in translation).[12] The noun is now literary.[4][9]
Timeline
- About 1266 – Brunetto Latini uses aquilone for the north.[12]
- Before 1274 – Brunetto Latini's Tesoretto has the wind.[15]
- Late 13th century – The wind appears in the Fatti di Cesare.[12]
- 1304–1308 – Dante uses aquilone for the north.[2]
- 1320 – Aquilonare “northern” appears in the translation of Crescenzi.[12]
- Before 1333 – Simintendi writes acquilone.[12]
Meanings
Noun
Word family
- aquilonare
Related words
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
- ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
- ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
- ^ Pianigiani, Ottorino (1907), Vocabolario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2 vols., Roma / Milano: Albrighi, Segati
- ^ a b Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 3, 640
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
- ^ a b Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
- ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
- ^ a b c d e f g h Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 3, 669
- ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
- ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b c d e f Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
- ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Aquilone.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/aquilone. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.
Last edited on . ·