Etymologically
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corretto

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Pronunciation

  • /korˈrɛt.to/[1]

Forms

corretto (feminine corretta, masculine plural corretti, feminine plural corrette)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin correctus (“corrected, reformed”), the past participle of corrigō (“to straighten, correct”), and serves as the past participle of correggere.[2][3][4][5] The Latin verb is a compound of con- and regō (“to guide, rule”).[5][6] Devoto explains the Italian form as the Latin participle crossed with Italian reggere.[7]

French correct is recorded from 1512.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Florentine poet Chiaro Davanzati, in the second half of the 13th century.[8] DELI's first record of the adjective, “free of errors”, is Dante's Convivio (1304–1308), which speaks of a wrong opinion non gastigata e corretta, “not punished and corrected”.[2][9]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word meant “amended, purged of errors” of a text or a law, “exact, regular”, and of a person “virtuous, honest”; as a noun it named someone who had been corrected or had repented.[8] Its use for good manners, “conforming to the rules of civil life”, is recorded only before 1874, in Tommaseo.[2]

A drink is corretto when something has been added to it: Boerio's Venetian dictionary of 1829 has acqua corèta, and Antonio Gramsci uses the word in 1931.[2] Caffè corretto, coffee with a dash of spirits, is the best-known use, and un corretto is short for it.[10][1] Politicamente corretto translates English politically correct, after the American movement of the late 1980s.[10][11]

Timeline

  • Second half of the 13th century – Chiaro Davanzati uses the word.[8]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses it in the Convivio.[2]
  • 1512 – French correct is recorded.[5]
  • 1829 – Boerio records Venetian acqua corèta, water with something added.[2]
  • 1931 – Gramsci uses corretto of a drink with something added.[2]
  • Before 1874 – Tommaseo uses it for “conforming to good manners”.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Free of errors or defects; correct, exact: La tua traduzione è quasi del tutto corretta.[12][4][13]
  2. In keeping with the facts; valid: un'analisi corretta della situazione.[12][4]
  3. In keeping with good manners and morals; of a person, fair, honest: È sempre stato corretto con i suoi clienti.[12][4][13]
  4. (sports) Of a player, keeping to the rules of the game.[4]
  5. Of a drink, with something added, especially a little spirits: caffè corretto.[4][13][10]

Noun

  1. Short for caffè corretto, coffee with a dash of spirits.[1][14]

Word family

  • correttezza
  • correttamente
  • scorretto
  • incorretto
  • ipercorretto
  • correggere
  • correzione
  • correttore
  • retto
  • Latin correctus

Usage notes

DEI records an unrelated Old Italian corrotto or corretto meaning “mourning, grief”, from Latin corruptum (compare Old French corrot), recorded from the 13th century.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1122
  6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 3
  10. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. Supplemento 2009
  12. ^ a b c De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  13. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  15. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1124