bigio

Forms

bigio (feminine bigia, masculine plural bigi, feminine plural bige)^[1] Old forms include Old Italian bicio, Old Italian biso, Old Italian bixo and Old Italian bisgio.^[2][3] The spelling bisgio shows the Florentine pronunciation.^[4]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.^[5][6][7] DELI, Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti agree that it is a northern word adapted to Tuscan pronunciation: it is borrowed from Lombard biso, also bis.^{[3][8][9][10]} Devoto describes the change as a northern softening of ⟨-cj-⟩ to ⟨-sgj-⟩, later made Tuscan as ⟨-gj-⟩.^[11]

Several origins have been proposed for the northern word.^[3]

• Nocentini and Devoto–Oli derive it by loss of the first syllable from Vulgar Latin *orbīceum, from Latin orbus (“blind; bereft”), since the northern words also mean “one-eyed, squinting” in Lombardy.^[8][9] Wartburg had seen the link between the two senses but thought “blind” came from “grey”.^[8] Nocentini reverses it: one who sees dimly became that which is seen dimly, and so neither white nor black.^[8] He finds support in the diminutive urbisìn (“slow-worm”).^[8]
• DEI derives it from French bis and Old Occitan bis (12th century), perhaps from a Frankish word that has no solid support.^[12] DELI objects that this only moves the unsolved problem into another Romance language.^[3]
• Migliorini–Duro and Devoto proposed Latin *bombȳcium (“of the colour of the silkworm”), from bombyx (“silkworm”).^[3][11][5] Wiktionary prefers Vulgar Latin *bysseus, from Latin byssus (“fine linen”), the source of bisso, and compares French beige.^[1] DEI judges both Latin bases phonetically inadequate.^[12]
• The LEI and the TLIO place it under an expressive base ⟨*bić-⟩, ⟨*big-⟩, found in words expressing disgust and contempt.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a Florentine document of 1278–1279, with the sense “of the colour of ash”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From the colour the word passed early to darkness and gloom: Dante's onde bige are the dark waters of the Styx in the Inferno.^[13][4] The TLIO records Old Italian figurative senses such as “foolish” and “unpleasant to hear”, and panno bigio for the coarse dark cloth of some religious orders.^[2] Giordano da Pisa writes bicio in 1305–1306, and Aretino biscio in 1536.^[3] The noun bigello, a coarse grey cloth, follows in the first half of the 14th century.^[8]

In 15th-century Florence the Bigi were the supporters of the Medici, opposed to Savonarola's regime but ready for passing alliances with its enemies, and the name may come from that ambiguous position.^[7][5] In 1688 the notes to the Malmantile explain that a huomo bigio was a man with every vice.^[3] Mussolini used bigio for the politically undecided, “uncertain and twilight spirits”.^[3] Roman gatto bicio is a tabby cat.^[3] The proverb al buio tutte le gatte son bigie (in the dark all cats are grey) is recorded by Tommaseo.^[13]

Timeline

• 1278–1279 – Bigio appears in a Florentine document.^[3][2]
• 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa writes bicio.^[3]
• First half of the 14th century – Bigello “grey cloth” is recorded.^[8]
• 1536 – Aretino writes biscio.^[3]
• 1688 – The notes to the Malmantile explain huomo bigio as a man full of vices.^[3]
• 1875 – The feminine noun bigia is recorded.^[8]
• Before 1941 – Mussolini uses bigio for the politically undecided.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. ash-grey, of a dull grey: un mantello bigio.^[5][9][6]
2. Dark, overcast: tempo bigio is cloudy weather, and pane bigio is wholemeal bread.^[5][9][7]
3. (figurative, uncommon) Dull, undecided, especially of someone who will not take sides in politics.^[5][9][7]
4. (obsolete) wicked, stained with vice.^[5][6]

Noun

1. The ash-grey colour.^[5][9][10]
2. (history) A member of the Bigi, the party in 15th-century Florence that favoured the Medici.^[5][9]

Word family

• bigello
• bigino
• bigiccio
• bigiastro
• imbigiare

Related words

• French bis

Usage notes

The proverb al buio tutti i gatti sono bigi (in the dark all cats are grey) means that some differences cannot be seen in certain conditions.^[9][7] Suore bigie is another name for the Elizabethan nuns, from the colour of their habit.^[7] As a colour word bigio means the same as grigio, and the choice between them is one of style.^[7] A separate Old Italian bigio (also bigia) meant the north wind: GDLI takes it from a northern bisa or Old French bise, the TLIO from a pre-Latin *bisja “wind”.^[14][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f 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 Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 225
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b c d e f g Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
10. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
11. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
12. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 516
13. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 226