Etymologically
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chiaro

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Pronunciation

Forms

chiaro (feminine chiara, masculine plural chiari, feminine plural chiare, superlative chiarissimo, diminutive chiarétto)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin clārus (“loud; bright, clear; famous”).[2][3][4][1][5] The word is pan-Romance: French clair, Occitan clar, Catalan clar, Sardinian giaru and Romanian chiar (“just, exactly”), which survives only as an adverb, while Spanish claro and Portuguese claro are of learned tradition.[3][6]

The Latin adjective first described the voice, as in clāra vōx (“a loud voice”), and only later what is seen.[2][3][5] It belongs with calō (“to call out”) and clāmō (“to shout, call”), the source of chiamare.[3][7] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *klāro- (“loud”) and Proto-Indo-European *kl̥h₁-ro- (“loud, sonorous”), from the root Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to call”).[7][1] The same shift from sound to light is found in German hell (“bright”) beside Old High German hellan (“to resound”).[3][7] Wiktionary compares Albanian qartë.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Libro of Uguccione da Lodi, from Cremona, of the early 13th century.[8] DELI's first dated sense is “luminous”, in Bonagiunta Orbicciani before 1257, who compares himself to a child stretching out a hand to a fire that seems to him “chiaro e bello” (bright and beautiful).[2][9]

Semantic evolution

The meanings of the Latin word came back one by one in the 13th and 14th centuries: “pale, light” of a colour before 1292 (Bono Giamboni), “pure, limpid” in Dante's Vita nuova (1293–1294), “famous” in the Convivio (1304–1308), “easy to understand” in the Commedia (before 1321), “honest, sincere” in Giovanni Villani (before 1348), and “clear-sounding” of the voice in Boccaccio (1353).[2] Old Italian also used it for the soul free of sin and for clear water and glass.[8] The noun chiaro “light, brightness” appears in Restoro d'Arezzo in 1282 and in Dante's Paradiso, where light and dark are “lo turbo e 'l chiaro”.[8][2][9]

Derivatives followed the same lines: chiara “egg white” (about 1350), chiarezza “clearness” (1305–1306), chiarire “to make clear”, and the learned chiarificare.[2][3] The painters' term chiaroscuro is a compound of chiaro and scuro (16th century), while chiaroveggente “clairvoyant” is a calque on French clairvoyant and the wine chiaretto takes its name from French claret.[2][3]

Timeline

  • Early 13th century – Uguccione da Lodi uses chiaro.[8]
  • Before 1257 – Bonagiunta uses it for “luminous”.[2]
  • 1282 – The noun chiaro “brightness” in Restoro d'Arezzo.[8]
  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it of a pale colour.[2]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses it for “famous” in the Convivio.[2]
  • Before 1321 – Dante uses it for “easy to understand”.[2]
  • About 1350 – Chiara “egg white” is recorded.[2]
  • 1353 – Boccaccio uses it of a clear-sounding voice.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. bright, full of light: una cucina chiara e spaziosa.[4][10][1]
  2. Of the sky or weather, clear, cloudless: Domani sarà una giornata chiara.[4][10]
  3. Of water or another liquid, limpid, transparent.[4][10]
  4. Of a colour, light, pale; of things, light-coloured: azzurro chiaro, una giacca chiara.[4][10]
  5. Of a sound or voice, distinct, clear-toned.[10][2]
  6. Easy to understand; evident, obvious: La spiegazione era chiara a tutti, è chiaro che “it is clear that”.[4][10][1]
  7. Of a person, expressing himself or herself clearly: La relatrice è stata chiarissima.[4]
  8. (literary) Famous, illustrious: di chiara fama.[4][1]
  9. (figurative) Frank, sincere: uno sguardo chiaro.[4]

Noun

  1. Light, brightness: chiaro di luna “moonlight”.[4][1]
  2. A light colour.[1]

Adverb

  1. Clearly, frankly: parlare chiaro, chiaro e tondo “plainly”.[4][1]

Word family

  • chiara
  • chiarezza
  • chiarire
  • chiarimento
  • chiarificare
  • chiarificazione
  • chiarore
  • chiaretto
  • chiaroscuro
  • chiaroveggente
  • chiaramente
  • schiarire
  • rischiarare

Usage notes

Common phrases include mettere in chiaro “to clear up”, vederci chiaro “to get to the bottom of something”, avere le idee chiare and con questi chiari di luna “in times like these”.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 894
  6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  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 Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 3, 54
  10. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier