Etymologically
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buongiorno

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Pronunciation

  • /ˌbwɔnˈd͡ʒor.no/, /bwonˈd͡ʒor.no/, /bonˈd͡ʒor.no/[1]

Forms

buongiorno (interjection; as a noun masculine and invariable). Also written buon giorno, less often bongiorno.[2][3][4][1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Italian buono (“good”) + giorno (“day”): the greeting “buon giorno” written as one word.[5][2][4][6][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI and GRADIT date both the greeting and the noun “the greeting itself” to Giovanni Boccaccio, between 1348 and 1353.[7][5] The TLIO also records it in Franco Sacchetti's Trecentonovelle at the end of the 14th century.[8]

Semantic evolution

It is said above all in the morning, but may be used until the early afternoon or, in general, before evening; by extension it serves as a plain “hello”.[5][3][1] As a noun it is the greeting itself, as in dare il buongiorno, and Tommaseo also records a plural: “Mi assordano co' loro buongiorni” (they deafen me with their good-mornings).[5][9] Ironically, bel buongiorno! greets someone who starts grumbling as soon as they are up.[2] The proverb il buongiorno si vede dal mattino says that a good start shows how a thing will go.[6]

The greeting is sometimes shortened to giorno, and its synonym is buondì.[5][4][10]

Timeline

  • 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses buongiorno for a club used as a weapon.[8]
  • 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses the greeting.[5][7]
  • Late 14th century – Franco Sacchetti uses it in the Trecentonovelle.[8]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. good morning, good day: a greeting used on meeting or leaving someone, especially in the morning or before evening: Buongiorno, signora, come sta?[5][2][3][1]
  2. (by extension) hello.[1]

Noun

  1. The greeting itself: Entrando non ci ha nemmeno dato il buongiorno.[5][2][4]

Usage notes

A separate buongiorno, a long club with a heavy studded head used as a weapon, is first recorded in Giovanni Villani (1348).[8][6] It renders the Flemish name of the weapon, godendag (“good day”), which came through Old French and Occitan godendac.[10][8] Tommaseo took it as an ironic name, like darle buone for a beating.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  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. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  7. ^ a b Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  9. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 1, 1073
  10. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 635