battesimo

Forms

battesimo m (plural battesimi)^[1] Old forms include Old Italian battesmo, still poetic, Old Italian baptismo and Old Italian batesimo.^[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin baptismus (“baptism”), the church word, from Ancient Greek βαπτισμός (baptismós, “immersion”), a derivative of βαπτίζω (baptízō, “to immerse; to baptise”) (see battezzare).^{[3][5][6][1][7]} The Latin word had masculine and neuter forms, and reflexes of the neuter baptisma exist only in Italy.^[3][7]

The LEI counts Old Italian battesmo among the inherited words, like Old French batesme (11th century); the modern form adds a vowel between ⟨s⟩ and ⟨m⟩, as do Friulian batéisen and the Engadine battaisem.^[7][8] Because it is a church word, the Latin vowel ⟨i⟩ and the cluster ⟨pt⟩ were kept in many places: French baptême, Occitan batisme, Spanish bautismo and Portuguese baptismo.^[7][5][8] The more learned battismo is a doublet.^[1]

The adjective battesimale continues Medieval Latin baptisimalis, recorded from the 9th century.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the Umbrian confession formula from Norcia, dated 1065 by the TLIO and before 1089 by DELI, with the forms baptismo and battismu; the sense is the Christian sacrament of water.^[2][3][6] The TLIO also records the meaning “baptistery, font” in the old texts.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Battesmo is Dante's form (1300–1313), and battesimo is in Dino Compagni (1310–1312); tenere a battesimo, to stand godparent to a child, is in Giovanni Villani before 1348.^[3] In the far south of Italy, once Greek-speaking, the word meant Epiphany, like the Greek of Bova.^[7]

From the 19th century it also names an inaugural ceremony (Giusti, 1847), such as the naming of a ship at her launch, and a first experience: battesimo del fuoco, a soldier's first battle (1865), and battesimo dell'aria, a first flight (1970).^[3][6][9] DELI traces these phrases to the sailors' battesimo della linea, the mock ducking of those crossing the equator for the first time, rather than to the martyrs' battesimo di sangue.^[3] A 19th-century use for “confirmation, approval” was rejected by purists (1855).^[3]

Timeline

• 1065 – Baptismo appears in the Umbrian confession formula.^[2]
• 1300–1313 – Dante uses battesmo.^[3]
• 1310–1312 – Dino Compagni uses battesimo.^[3]
• Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani has tenere a battesimo.^[3]
• 1354 – Battesimale is recorded in Passavanti.^[3]
• 1847 – Giusti uses the word for an inaugural ceremony.^[3]
• 1865 – Battesimo del fuoco is recorded.^[3]
• 1970 – Battesimo dell'aria is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Christianity) baptism, the first sacrament, given by pouring water on the head or by immersion: ricevere il battesimo.^{[6][10][4][1]}
2. The ceremony in which baptism is given, a christening: Sabato siamo invitati al battesimo della nipote.^[6][1]
3. (religion) A rite of initiation by immersion in water, as in pre-Christian cults.^[9][11][12]
4. (by extension) An inaugural ceremony, especially the naming of a ship at her launch.^[6][9][13]
5. (figurative) A first experience: battesimo del fuoco, first time in battle;^[3][6] battesimo dell'aria, first flight.^[3][6]

Word family

• battesimale

Related words

• battezzare
• battismo
• battistero
• Latin baptismus

Usage notes

Nome di battesimo is a person's first name, given at baptism.^[6][11] Tenere a battesimo is to be godparent and, figuratively, to launch a new undertaking.^[11][3]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 j k l m n o p q r s Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
5. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b c d e Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 4, 1092
8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
11. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
13. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org