battezzare

Forms

battezzare (first-person singular present battézzo, first-person singular past historic battezzài, past participle battezzàto, auxiliary avére)^[1] Old Italian also had batteggiare, battizare and batizzare.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin baptidiāre, a variant of the 4th–5th century of Ecclesiastical Latin baptizō (“to baptize”).^[2][4] The Latin verb is from Ancient Greek βαπτίζω (baptízō, “to dip, immerse”), from βάπτω (báptō), which meant “to dye” and then “to dip into a liquid”.^[2] The early Christians baptized by immersion.^[2][5][6]

The regular Tuscan outcome is the rare batteggiare, while the form that prevailed comes from northern Italy, where Tuscan ⟨-eggiare⟩ corresponds to ⟨-ezzare⟩.^[2][4] Forms with ⟨-izzare⟩, as in Iacopone's Old Italian battizare, show a half-learned vowel.^[4][2] Like many words of the Church, it reflects the popular development of the Latin only in part.^[7] Zingarelli calls it a learned word.^[8]

The Romance cognates come from both Latin forms: Romanian boteza, Friulian batiâ, Old French baptoier, Catalan batejar and Old Spanish batear continue the form in ⟨-di-⟩, and French baptiser, Spanish bautizar and Portuguese baptizar the learned one.^[4][7] Latin also used the calque Latin tinguō (“to wet, dye”), which Old Italian knew too.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is a Roman history of Troy and Rome of 1252–1258, in the sense “to give baptism”.^[9][7] DELI has battizare and batizzare in Iacopone da Todi (before 1306), batteggiare in a Tuscan bestiary (about 1300), and battezzare in Dante (before 1321).^[2]

Semantic evolution

From giving baptism the verb came to mean giving a name in baptism (1367–1370, Velluti), and then naming anything: a person, a pet, a ship, a new book.^[2][5][10] Old Italian also used it for immersing in a liquid and, figuratively, for sprinkling with water or worse.^[9] The sense “to wet, splash” is recorded before 1400, in Franco Sacchetti, and battezzare il vino, to water down wine, in 1863.^[2] Sacchetti also writes that people hanno battezzato l'usura in diversi nomi (“have baptized usury under various names”), the first use for giving a false name.^[2]

In the 14th century Zucchero Bencivenni wrote Tignere e battezzare è tutto uno (“to dip and to baptize are all one”).^[2] Boccaccio's battezzato in domenica, “baptized on a Sunday”, meant a fool, because salt was not sold on Sundays.^[11][9] The reflexive battezzarsi, to receive baptism, is recorded before 1484 in Pulci, and today also means to give oneself a title one has no right to.^[2][12] The derivative sbattezzarsi first meant to renounce the Christian faith, and later to try every means.^[7]

Timeline

• 1252–1258 – A Roman history of Troy and Rome uses the verb.^[9]
• About 1300 – Batteggiare appears in a Tuscan bestiary.^[2]
• Before 1306 – Iacopone da Todi writes battizare and batizzare.^[2]
• Before 1321 – Dante uses battezzare.^[2]
• 1367–1370 – Donato Velluti uses it for giving a name.^[2]
• Before 1400 – Franco Sacchetti uses it for wetting and for giving a false name.^[2]
• 1472 – Batisato “baptized” is recorded at Gubbio.^[2]
• 1481 – Sbattezzare is recorded.^[7]
• Before 1484 – Luigi Pulci uses the reflexive battezzarsi.^[2]
• 1863 – Fanfani records battezzare il vino “to water down wine”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To baptize: to admit someone into the Church through the sacrament of baptism (battesimo), or to have a child baptized.^{[5][12][13][1]}
2. To christen, to give a name in baptism, and by extension to name or nickname: l'hanno battezzata Chiara.^[5][12][1]
3. (colloquial) To stand as godparent to someone.^[5][12][13]
4. (humorous) To wet or splash with water.^[5][11] Battezzare il vino is to water down the wine.^[5][12][8]
5. (reflexive) Battezzarsi: to receive baptism, and figuratively to give oneself a title without right.^[12][13][8]

Word family

• battezzando
• battezzato
• battezzatore
• battezziere
• battezzone
• sbattezzare
• ribattezzare
• battezzamento

Related words

• battesimo
• battista
• battistero
• Latin baptizō
• Ancient Greek βαπτίζω (baptízō)

Usage notes

Essere stato battezzato di domenica, to have been baptized on a Sunday, is a humorous way of calling someone a fool.^[5][11]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b c d Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
5. ^ 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
6. ^ 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 e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
9. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
10. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
11. ^ a b c 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 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
13. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse