belga

Forms

belga m or f by sense (masculine plural belgi, feminine plural belghe)^[1]

Etymology

It is learned: it is borrowed from Latin Belgae, the name used from Caesar's time for the people of Gallia Belgica.^[2][3][4][5] The Latin name is probably Celtic, from a root meaning “to swell, be extended”.^[2][3][6][7]

The name of the country, Belgio, came into general use after the Low Countries split in the 16th century.^[4] French has the noun Belges from 1528 and the adjective French belge from 1823, and the word is also Catalan belga, Spanish belga and Portuguese belga.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI dates the word to before 1625, in Giambattista Marino, meaning “of Belgium” and “a Belgian”.^[2] The dictionaries disagree on the date: Zingarelli gives 1481, Sabatini–Coletti the 16th century, GRADIT before 1707, and Nocentini the 18th century.^[7][8][6][3] The LEI first records the noun in Filicaia (1707) and the adjective in the Milanese press of 1800.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The noun belga also named the coin of five Belgian francs created in 1926, never put into circulation but used as the unit in foreign-exchange dealings;^[2][4][9] Italian dictionaries record it from about 1950.^[2][4][9] The word names several products and breeds: insalata belga, a white chicory with a tight, elongated head, the heavy draught horse of the razza belga and the pastore belga sheepdog.^{[10][7][11][6]} Marmo belga is a dark blue limestone from the Ardennes.^[9]

Timeline

• Before 1625 – Giambattista Marino uses belga.^[2]
• 1707 – Filicaia uses the noun “a Belgian”.^[4]
• 1800 – The adjective appears in the Milanese press.^[4]
• 1926 – The belga of five francs is created.^[2][12]
• c. 1950 – The coin name enters Italian dictionaries.^[4][2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Belgian: of or from Belgium.^[6][10][11]
2. (insalata belga) Belgian endive, a white chicory with a long, compact head.^[6][10][7]
3. (razza belga) Of the Belgian breed of heavy draught horse.^[7][10][11]

Noun

1. A native or inhabitant of Belgium.^[6][10][8]
2. (history, plural, capitalised) The Belgae, a Celtic people living in north-western Gaul in Caesar's time.^[6][9]
3. (masculine) The belga, a Belgian monetary unit of five francs, used only in foreign-exchange calculations.^[6][9][8]

Related words

• Belgio
• Latin Belgae
• French belge

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
5. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ a b c d e Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
10. ^ a b c d e 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 Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
12. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 477