Etymologically
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biglietto

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Pronunciation

  • /biʎˈʎet.to/[1]

Forms

biglietto m (plural biglietti)[1] An older variant is viglietto, with the treatment of initial /b/ found in the southern dialects.[2][3] In 1726 Anton Maria Salvini noted that the more refined speakers said viglietto.[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French billet, recorded in French from 1457.[4][5][6][1] The French noun is the masculine counterpart of Old French billette, itself a form of bullette (“certificate”), a diminutive of the word for a seal that goes back to Latin bulla (“bubble; boss, stud; seal”).[4][5][7][1] The change of vowel is explained by crossing with bille (“small ball”).[4][5][8] Devoto alone derives the French word from Spanish billete.[9]

Through Latin “bulla” the word belongs with Italian bolla and bolletta.[6][2] The Latin noun first meant a bubble on water, then a round boss or ornament, and, from Late Latin also a seal, the sense behind the documents and certificates of the medieval languages.[10] Its origin is uncertain: Wiktionary mentions a link with Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to blow, swell”) and sees the word as ultimately imitative.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Bernardo Davanzati, who died in 1606, for a small sheet of paper with a short private message written on it.[4][6] In his translation of Tacitus the word is used for a note sent to a tribune.[11]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century the word took on the senses it has today.[4] Benedetto Marcello used it about 1720 for the slip that admits someone to a show, and biglietto di banca “banknote” is recorded in Ferdinando Galiani in 1751; the banknote had been introduced in France, as billet de banque, in 1716, and DELI thinks it unlikely that the Italian name came through English.[4] Biglietto da visita, the visiting card, is in Alessandro and Pietro Verri in 1778.[4] In the 19th century purists such as Ugolini objected to the use of biglietto for any short note, an objection DELI considers excessive, since the use was established even in the dialects.[4]

The ticket sense grew with public transport: bigliettaio “ticket seller, conductor” is recorded in 1929 and biglietteria “ticket office” in 1933.[4] Bigliettazione, the way tickets are issued on public transport, was called a “horrible neologism” by Bruno Migliorini in 1975.[4] In journalism biglietto verde is the US dollar.[12]

Timeline

  • Before 1600 – Bernardo Davanzati uses biglietto for a short written note.[4]
  • c. 1720 – Benedetto Marcello uses it for an admission ticket.[4]
  • 1726 – Anton Maria Salvini records the variant viglietto.[4]
  • 1751 – Biglietto di banca “banknote” is in Ferdinando Galiani.[4]
  • 1778 – Biglietto da visita is used by the Verri brothers.[4]
  • 1929 – Bigliettaio is recorded.[4]
  • 1933 – Biglietteria is recorded.[4]
  • 1975 – Bigliettazione is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A note: a small sheet of paper or card with a short message; the message itself: Gli ho lasciato un biglietto sulla scrivania.[6][3][2]
  2. A card with greetings or wishes: un biglietto di auguri, a greetings card.[6][3]
  3. A ticket: a printed slip that shows a fare or entry fee has been paid: Hai già comprato il biglietto del treno?[6][3][2][1]
  4. A lottery or raffle ticket.[6][12]
  5. A banknote, in full biglietto di banca: un biglietto da cinquanta euro.[6][2][13]
  6. (military, administrative) A written order from a superior officer or an authority.[6]
  7. (heraldry) A billet, a small rectangular charge.[1]

Word family

  • bigliettaio
  • biglietteria
  • bigliettazione
  • bigliettificio
  • bigliettino
  • bigliettone
  • bolla
  • bolletta
  • bollettino
  • French billet

Usage notes

Biglietto da visita is a business or visiting card, and figuratively anything that gives a first impression of someone.[3][12] The diminutive bigliettino is used above all for small written notes.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c 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. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 517
  8. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 143
  9. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  10. ^ Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 227
  12. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana