chianti

Forms

chianti m (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian Chianti, the hilly region of Tuscany between Florence and Siena where the wine is made.^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Devoto describes the region as lying between the upper valleys of the Greve to the north and the Ombrone to the south, and explains its name as an extension of a Mediterranean stem ⟨clana⟩, the one in the river name ⟨Chiana⟩.^[6] Wiktionary takes the name through Latin from Etruscan 𐌂𐌋𐌀𐌍𐌕𐌄 (clante).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is from 1398, in the letters of the merchant Francesco Datini, where the word already names the red wine of the Chianti.^[2] The TLIO dates the same Tuscan document to 1398 and defines the word as wine produced in the Chianti zone.^[7]

Semantic evolution

Several dictionaries date the word only from the 17th century: Nocentini, DEI, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti give that century, Zingarelli before 1665 and GRADIT 1666.^{[3][8][5][9][10][4]} The wine was praised in Italian poetry: Redi's lines “Del buon Chianti il vin decrepito / maestoso / imperioso / mi passeggia dentro il core” (“the aged wine of good Chianti, majestic, imperious, walks within my heart”) are quoted by the GDLI.^[11] Forteguerri's Ricciardetto has “non portar Chianti, che mi serra il gozzo” (“don't bring Chianti, it tightens my throat”).^[12][11] Later writers such as Collodi, Carducci and Pavese use the word as well.^[11]

Today the name is protected and the wine is made mainly from Sangiovese grapes.^[4][10] The chianti classico comes from the oldest zone of production, which the law marks off around San Casciano in Val di Pesa, Greve, Radda in Chianti and Castellina in Chianti, and other kinds take their names from the sub-zones, such as Rufina and the Colli fiorentini.^[13][9]

DEI noted that the word had recently passed into French and English.^[8] English Chianti is recorded from 1833, and the OED notes that it was loosely applied to various inferior Italian wines.^[14]

Timeline

• 1398 – Chianti names the wine in the letters of Francesco Datini.^[2][7]
• Before 1665 – Zingarelli's date for the word.^[10]
• 1666 – GRADIT's date for the word.^[4]
• 1833 – English Chianti is first recorded.^[14]

Meanings

Noun

1. Chianti: a dry red wine made in the Chianti area of Tuscany, mainly from sangiovese grapes, ruby red in colour and with a scent of violets: Abbiamo ordinato un fiasco di chianti.^{[4][5][10][15][13]}

Related words

• Chianti
• chiantigiano

Usage notes

The noun is masculine and invariable.^[4][5][9] It is also written with a capital, Chianti, especially in older texts.^[1][12][11] Common names for kinds of the wine are chianti classico and chianti riserva.^[9][13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ 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
6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 91
7. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
8. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 892
9. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 3, 48
12. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
14. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
15. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana