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bonaccia

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word bonaccia

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1260–1261 Brunetto Latini, Rettorica More words from the 13th century
Inherited from
Latin *bonacia
Ultimate origins
Latin bonusAncient Greek μαλακία

Pronunciation

  • /boˈnat.t͡ʃa/[1]

Forms

bonaccia f (plural bonacce)[1] Older texts also have Old Italian bonazza and Old Italian bonaza.[2][3] The northern dialect forms include Ligurian bonassa and Venetian bonazza.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *bonacia, which replaced Latin malacia (“calm at sea”), a Greek loan first used by Caesar, from Ancient Greek μαλακία (malakía, “softness; calm”), from μαλακός (malakós, “soft”).[3][5][6][1] Because the Latin word seemed to contain malus (“bad”), it was remade on bonus (“good”), to avoid an ill omen, as Ascoli argued in 1887;[3][5][6][7] Nocentini compares the renaming of ⟨Maleventum⟩ as ⟨Beneventum⟩.[3][5][6][7] Medieval Latin has the word at Naples in 959 and at Bologna in 1215.[3]

The LEI sees it as probably already a Latin formation on the good word, perhaps on the analogy of the Greek loan, a view first put forward around 1640; its spread across Romance speaks for a Latin origin.[4] Keller in the FEW, and Maver, derived it from the adjective as a Romance formation without the Greek word, a view DELI finds unconvincing.[4][3] Prati also allowed a simple derivative of buono, comparing Roman words of the same shape.[8]

The same word is French bonace, Old Occitan bonassa, Catalan bonança, Spanish bonanza, Portuguese bonança, Aromanian bunață (“calm weather”) and Romansh bunatscha (“thaw”).[5][4] The DEI and Meyer-Lübke take the French word as a loan from Italian, while the LEI records it from the early 13th century.[9][6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first Italian record is in Brunetto Latini's Rettorica, about 1260–1261, for the calm of the sea when there is no wind.[2][10]

Semantic evolution

The word soon spread to fine weather in general and, figuratively, to a quiet, favourable situation and to calm of mind.[2] Dante compares a boaster to the blackbird that sings at the first fine weather: come fé ’l merlo per poca bonaccia.[11][12] Giuntino Lanfredi set bonazza against malazza, a storm.[3]

In 1534 Aretino uses it for good fortune, and Ariosto says that Ruggiero never left Agramante while he had bonaccia.[3][10] In 1775 Bandini used it for a fall in prices.[3] Tommaseo records a separate old use for good nature or kindness, in Lasca.[13] German borrowed the word in the 15th century, as bonatza and similar forms.[14]

Timeline

  • 959 – Medieval Latin bonaccia is recorded at Naples.[3]
  • 1215 – Bonacia appears in Boncompagno of Bologna.[3]
  • 1260–1261 – Brunetto Latini uses the word in his Rettorica.[2][10]
  • 1290 – Guido delle Colonne uses bonaccia.[4][14]
  • 1444 – Venetian bonaza appears in a portolan.[3]
  • 1479 – German wonatz and bonatza are recorded.[14]
  • 1534 – Aretino uses it for good fortune.[3]
  • 1775 – Bandini uses it for a fall in prices.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (nautical) A dead calm: the state of the sea when there is no wind: dopo due giorni di bonaccia si alzò il maestrale.[15][7][10]
  2. (archaic) Fine weather, the good season.[15][7][11]
  3. (figurative) Calm, a quiet period without conflict; also stagnation: dopo le elezioni in parlamento c’è bonaccia.[15][7][16]
  4. (literary) Good fortune, prosperity.[15][10][11]

Word family

  • abbonacciare
  • bonacciare
  • bonaccioso

Usage notes

Common phrases are fa bonaccia (it is calm) and il mare è in bonaccia.[10][11][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c 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 Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c d e f Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 6, 891
  5. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c d Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 160
  9. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 557
  10. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  11. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  12. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  13. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 1, 1005
  14. ^ a b c Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  15. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  16. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse

Related etymologies

  • no · also from Latin
  • cosa · also from Latin
  • a · also from Latin
  • mio · also from Latin
  • uno · also from Latin
  • si · also from Latin
  • sapere · also from Latin
  • fare · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Bonaccia.” Etymologically, 10 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/bonaccia. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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