Etymologically
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autobus

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 05:07. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈaw.to.bus/[1]

Forms

autobus m (invariable)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French autobus, recorded in Italian in 1913.[2][3][1][4] The French word joins auto- of automobile with -bus, the end of omnibus.[3][5][6][7] Nocentini calls it a Greek and Latin neologism: the ending was taken from Latin omnibus (“for all”), the dative plural of omnis (“all”).[2] The first part comes in the end from Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”).[2]

The horse-drawn omnibus was first named in French, from a phrase meaning “carriage for all”;[8][2] DELI reports that the name may have been helped by the surname of the first operator, Omnès, or of a friend of his.[8][2] The short form bus is recorded in Italian in 1935, after French bus (1893).[8][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The word is first recorded in 1913 for a large motor vehicle for public passenger transport.[3][5][2] Panzini described it as a French word meaning a motor omnibus.[7]

Semantic evolution

Panzini noted that the usual pronunciation was àutobus, but that some said autòbus and autobùs.[7] The figurative phrase perdere l'autobus, to miss the bus and so to miss a chance, is given by the modern dictionaries.[3][5][6] The GDLI quotes Panzini, Enrico Pea, Emilio Cecchi, Carlo Emilio Gadda and Corrado Alvaro on the new buses, which in Pea's village did in three quarters of an hour what the stagecoach did in half a morning.[7]

Timeline

  • 1836 – Omnibus is recorded in Italian for the horse-drawn carriage.[2]
  • 1893 – French bus is recorded.[3]
  • 1913 – Autobus is recorded.[3][2]
  • 1935 – The clipped bus appears.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. bus: a large motor vehicle carrying passengers on city and suburban routes: Prendo l'autobus delle otto.[3][5][4]

Word family

  • autobussistico
  • omnibus
  • bus
  • automobile
  • French autobus

Usage notes

The stress is on the first syllable, àutobus;[9][10][7] autobùs is popular and autòbus is to be avoided.[9][10][7] The noun is invariable: gli autobus.[1][5] Perdere l'autobus means to miss an opportunity.[3][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  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 Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  7. ^ a b c d e f Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  8. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli