Etymologically
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chissà

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Pronunciation

Forms

chissà (invariable)[1] It is also written as two words, chi sa.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is from Italian chi (“who”) + sa (“knows”), the question “chi sa?” “who knows?” turned into an adverb.[5][6][7][8] The single word is written with a double ⟨ss⟩ for the doubling of the consonant after “chi” in pronunciation.[9][3] The same phrase gave Spanish quizá, from “qui sabe”, and Portuguese quiçá.[6][1] Wiktionary traces the expression to a Vulgar Latin “quī sapit”, from Latin quī (“who”) and sapiō (“to taste; to know”).[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The phrase chi sa is first recorded in Boccaccio (before 1375), as in Chi sa, se ella allor preso m'avesse… (“Who knows, if she had then taken me…”).[5][8][7] DELI's first record of the single word chissà is in Verga (1881).[5]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th and 17th centuries Bandello and Guarini used chi sa che to put a hopeful or doubtful supposition.[8] Ferdinando Martini criticised the spelling chissà, but in 1950 Migliorini noted that so many good writers used it that there was no reason to ban it.[5] Today it is a word of basic vocabulary.[7]

Before a pronoun or adverb it forms vague expressions such as chissà chi, chissà dove and chissà quando;[9][4][3] chissà chi and chissà che are also used ironically of someone or something thought to be extraordinary.[9][4][3] Rarer spellings in one word, such as chissammai and chissaddove, are also recorded.[3][4]

Timeline

  • Before 1375 – Boccaccio uses chi sa.[5][8]
  • 1881 – Verga writes chissà.[5]
  • 1950 – Migliorini defends the spelling chissà.[5]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. who knows: expresses doubt, uncertainty or a faint hope, often as an answer: «Ci vediamo domani?» «Chissà.»[7][9][2]
  2. Introduces an indirect question or exclamation: Chissà se ha ricevuto la lettera. Chissà quanto costa![7][2][4]
  3. (parenthetical) Perhaps, maybe: Potremmo, chissà, trasferirci al mare.[2][4][3]
  4. Chissà chi, chissà che (cosa): (ironic) someone or something extraordinary: Si crede chissà chi.[9][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ 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