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civile

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word civile

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1260–1261, Brunetto Latini, Rettorica
Borrowed from
Latin civilis
Ultimate origin
Latin cīvis
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin civis
Latin civilis
French civil
Italian civile
From the same root
Latin civitas ← civis
English civil ← civilis

Pronunciation

  • /t͡ʃiˈvi.le/[1]

Forms

civile m or f by sense (plural civili, superlative civilissimo)[1] Old forms include Old Italian cevile, Old Italian civil and Old Italian civigle.[2] The form Neapolitan cevile is found in Naples.[3]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin cīvīlis (“of a citizen; public; courteous”), from cīvis (“citizen”) with the suffix -īlis.[4][5][6][1] The LEI notes that Latin already used it both for what belongs to the citizen and for the state and its law as opposed to the church or the nobility, the two lines of meaning that continue in Italian.[3] The corresponding French civil (from 1330), Catalan civil (from 1284) and Spanish civil (from 1169) are learned too.[3][5]

DELI quotes Bruno Migliorini's remark that Italian has many more words reflecting the outlook of townspeople than of peasants: this word and urbano against rustico.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is Brunetto Latini's Rettorica (about 1260–1261), where the word is used of the life and customs of a city community and of a battle between citizens.[2][3] DELI gives Latini (before 1294) for the sense “of the citizen as a member of a state”.[4]

Semantic evolution

Dante (before 1321) used it for a people that has reached a high degree of civilization, and also for strife within a city, in Paradiso 11: chi rubare, e chi civil negozio, “one robbing, another busy with public affairs”.[4][7][3] In the law the word distinguished private law from criminal and canon law from the 14th century.[2] From about 1492 it is said of the civilian as opposed to the clergy and the army, and the noun “private citizen, bourgeois” is recorded before 1475 in Matteo Palmieri.[3][4]

From the sense “belonging to life in society” came “well-mannered, decent”, already in Latin.[3][5] Regionally civile was a person of the upper classes, and in the Marche it still means “of fair, delicate skin”, the skin of those who did not work in the sun.[6][8][9] Stato civile is a calque of French état civil.[10] Of the derivatives, civiltà is recorded as civilitade in Dante's Convivio (1304–1308), while civilizzare and civilizzazione are French civiliser and civilisation.[4][5]

Timeline

  • About 1260–1261 – Brunetto Latini uses civile in the Rettorica.[2]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses civilitade in the Convivio.[4]
  • Before 1321 – Dante uses it for a civilized people.[4]
  • Before 1475 – Matteo Palmieri uses it as a noun for a private citizen.[4]
  • About 1492 – The sense “civilian, not military or clerical” is recorded.[3]
  • 1673 – Civilista “civil lawyer” is recorded.[4]
  • 1684 – Gregorio Leti uses civilizzare.[4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of the citizens of a state and their life together: i diritti civili.[6][10][8]
  2. civilian, not military or religious: un matrimonio civile.[6][8][11]
  3. Inspired by the values of the community: poesia civile.[6][11][12]
  4. (law) Of civil law, as opposed to criminal law: una causa civile.[6][10][12]
  5. civilized, having reached a high degree of civiltà: un paese civile.[6][8]
  6. Polite, well-behaved; decent: Comportati in modo civile![6][8][1]

Noun

  1. A civilian: I civili furono evacuati dalla città.[6][8][1]
  2. (regional) A member of the nobility or the wealthy middle class.[6][8]

Word family

  • civilista
  • civilizzare
  • civilizzatore
  • civilizzazione
  • civiltà
  • incivile
  • inciviltà
  • incivilire
  • rincivilire
  • civilistico
  • civilmente

Usage notes

Guerra civile is a war between citizens of the same state, codice civile the civil code, and costituirsi parte civile to join criminal proceedings as the injured party claiming damages.[11][12][10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 14, 895
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  5. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  7. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  9. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Marcato, Carla (1998), I dialetti italiani: dizionario etimologico, Torino: UTET
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana

Related etymologies

  • no · also from Latin
  • cosa · also from Latin
  • a · also from Latin
  • mio · also from Latin
  • uno · also from Latin
  • si · also from Latin
  • sapere · also from Latin
  • fare · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Civile.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/civile. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·