Etymologically
Log in

certo

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 18:55. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈt͡ʃɛr.to/[1]

Forms

certo (feminine certa, masculine plural certi, feminine plural certe, superlative certissimo)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin certus (“fixed, settled; sure”).[2][3][4][1] The Latin adjective is in origin the past participle of Latin cernō (“to sift, distinguish, decide”), so that its first meaning was “decided, determined”, then “certain, not in doubt”.[2][3][5][6] The verb later formed a new participle, crētus, and the old participle was left as an adjective.[1] It continues in every Romance language except Romanian: Dalmatian ciart, Friulian ciart, French cert, Occitan cert, Catalan cert, Spanish cierto and Portuguese certo.[7][3][8] The use as an indefinite, “a certain, some”, is a Romance development.[9]

De Vaan traces the Latin word to Proto-Italic *krito- (“distinguished”) and Proto-Indo-European *krito- (“sifted”), the same formation as Ancient Greek κριτός (kritós, “chosen, separated”).[6] Devoto explains the chain of meanings as “sifted”, so “chosen”, so “decided”, so “sure”.[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Genoese part of Raimbaut de Vaqueiras's bilingual Contrasto, about 1190.[11] DELI first finds the noun “a certain thing” in Re Giovanni before 1237 and the adjective “ascertained, beyond doubt” in Guido Faba before 1243.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The personal sense “firmly persuaded, sure” is in Dante's Convivio (1304–1308): “così certo sono ad altra vita migliore dopo questa passare” (so sure am I of passing after this to another, better life).[2][5] Dante also uses the indefinite “some, a certain” in 1293–1294, and certo “clear, distinct” before 1321, as in “qual che tu sii, od ombra od omo certo” (whatever you are, shade or real man, Inferno 1).[2][12] The adverb “certainly” is used from the earliest texts, in Brunetto Latini, Guittone and the Vita nuova.[13]

Old Sienese certo also meant “sifted”, keeping the sense of the Latin verb.[14] Tuscan and Venetian formed certiduni “some people” from certi and uno.[8][15]

Timeline

  • c. 1190 – Raimbaut de Vaqueiras uses certo in Genoese.[11]
  • Before 1237 – Certo as a noun, “a certain thing”, in Re Giovanni.[2]
  • Before 1243 – Guido Faba uses certo “beyond doubt”.[2]
  • 1293–1294 – Dante uses certo “some, a certain”.[2]
  • 1304–1308 – Certo “sure, persuaded” in Dante's Convivio.[2]
  • 1664 – Certuno “someone” in Carlo Roberto Dati.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. certain, beyond doubt: una notizia certa; impersonally: è certo che pioverà.[4][16][17]
  2. Sure to happen: una vittoria certa; reliable, effective: un metodo certo.[4][16][12]
  3. Of a person, sure, convinced: sono certo di averlo chiuso.[4][16][18]
  4. (literary) Real, clearly seen.[4][17][12]

Determiner

  1. some, a certain, before a noun: certi giorni non ho fame, un certo signor Bruni.[4][12][18]
  2. Intensifying or belittling: ha certe idee!, ha una certa età.[12][17][18]

Pronoun

  1. In the plural, some people: certi dicono che sia partito.[4][18]

Noun

  1. What is certain: lasciare il certo per l'incerto.[12][18]

Adverb

  1. certainly, of course: Vieni stasera? – Certo!, certo che ti aiuto.[16][17][5]

Word family

  • certezza
  • certamente
  • certuno
  • accertare
  • accertamento
  • incerto
  • incertezza
  • stracerto

Usage notes

Phrases include di certo and per certo (certainly), dare per certo (to announce as sure), un certo non so che (a certain something) and in un certo senso (in a way).[4][18] Before a noun certo is indefinite (certe persone, some people), after it qualitative (persone certe, reliable people).[12][18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  6. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  7. ^ Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 13, 1175
  8. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  10. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 89
  11. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 3, 5
  14. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 873
  15. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 269
  16. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  17. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  18. ^ a b c d e f g Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana