cinquanta

Forms

cinquanta (invariable)^[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *cinquanta, which DEI and GDLI cite from late inscriptions, for classical Latin quīnquāgintā (“fifty”).^[4][5][6][2] The initial qu- was dissimilated to c-, the stress moved back to the third syllable from the end, and the syllable after the stress was then lost.^[7][4][8] Devoto puts the change of qu- down to the influence of cinque, with the -g- lost entirely before a front vowel.^[9] DEI compares the short late form Ancient Greek πεντήντα (penténta) beside πεντήκοντα (pentḗkonta).^[5]

The word is panromance except in Romanian: French cinquante, Occitan cinquanta, Catalan cinquanta and Spanish cincuenta, while Romanian cincizeci is a different formation.^[4][5][10]

The classical word is formed from quīnque (“five”) and the ending of the tens.^[11] Nocentini traces that ending, a neuter plural, to PIE *-kṃta, also seen in Greek -konta and Sanskrit -śat;^[4][1] Wiktionary gives the PIE numeral as Proto-Indo-European *penkʷēḱomt, from earlier *pénkʷedḱomt “five tens”.^[4][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in a Florentine account book of 1211, with the meaning “five tens”.^[7][12][2]

Semantic evolution

Dante already uses the number both exactly, in the Vita Nuova (per cento e cinquanta anni), and in the prophecy of the Inferno, Non cinquanta volte fia raccesa (not fifty times will the moon be rekindled).^[6] The hyperbolic use for “many”, as in te l'ho detto cinquanta volte, was noted by Tommaseo.^[13][2]

In Medieval Latin, cinquantina named, at Bologna in 1256, one of the fifty quarters of the city.^[7] Several dialects made a verb of the number, with senses such as “to talk at length” or “to wander about”: Tuscan cinquantare (1855), Venetian zinquantàr.^[14][15] The noun cinquanta also names a moped of about 50 cc.^[2]

Timeline

• 1211 – Cinquanta appears in a Florentine account book.^[7][12]
• 1256 – Medieval Latin cinquantina names a quarter of Bologna.^[7]
• 14th century – Cinquantesimo “fiftieth” is recorded.^[7][4]
• 1855 – Cinquantare “to talk at length” is recorded.^[14]
• 1863 – Cinquantenario “fiftieth anniversary” appears.^[7]

Meanings

Numeral

1. fifty, five tens (50, Roman L): Il biglietto costa cinquanta euro.^[2][16][3]
2. (hyperbolic) Many, a great number: Te l'ho ripetuto cinquanta volte!^[2][16][17]
3. (after a noun) Fiftieth: la pagina cinquanta.^[2][16][3]

Noun

1. The number fifty and its sign;^[2][17][3] i cinquanta, the age of fifty: essere sui cinquanta.^[2][17][3]
2. gli anni Cinquanta, the fifties, especially the 1950s.^[2][16][3]
3. A moped of about 50 cc.^[2]

Word family

• cinquantesimo
• cinquantina
• cinquantenario
• cinquantenne
• cinquantennio
• cinquantino

Related words

• cinque
• Latin quinquaginta

Usage notes

Before anni it is elided: cinquant’anni.^[3][17]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b c d e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 948
6. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 95
10. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
11. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
12. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
13. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 293
15. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
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 Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana