Etymologically
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cristo

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Pronunciation

Forms

cristo m (plural cristi)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin Christus, the Church Latin name, from Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós, “the Anointed”), the noun use of the verbal adjective χριστός (khristós, “anointed”), from χρίω (khríō, “to anoint”).[2][3][4][1] The Greek word translates Biblical Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (māšīaḥ, “anointed (of the Lord)”), which the Old Testament applies to kings chosen by God, and which Italian has as messia.[3][5][1] DELI thinks the Greek verb is probably of Indo-European origin.[2]

The word is a learned one, and so are its derivatives: cristiano from chrīstiānus, cristianesimo from Late Latin christianismus, cristianità and cristianizzare.[2][3] The name spread in the same form to all the European languages: French Christ, Spanish Cristo.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Giacomo da Lentini in 1250, as the title of Jesus.[2][3] GRADIT dates the word to before 1306, and DEI to the 14th century.[4][6] In Old Italian the common noun also meant “one anointed by God”, a king, priest or prophet: Cavalca, before 1342, has Non vogliate toccare i cristi miei (touch not my anointed ones).[7][8][9]

Semantic evolution

From the 16th century un Cristo is an image of Christ, especially a crucifix: Benvenuto Cellini (before 1571) is the first record.[2][6] Familiar speech made the word, mostly in lower case, a name for a wretched or ill-used person, un povero cristo (recorded in 1931), and for a big, tall man.[4][10]

As an oath it expresses anger or surprise;[6][11] DEI lists the euphemisms that replace it, such as cribbio and crisse.[6][11] Fixed phrases are non c'è cristo “there's no way”, avanti Cristo and dopo Cristo (BC and AD), and addormentarsi in Cristo “to die in peace”.[4][5][11]

Timeline

  • 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses Cristo as the title of Jesus.[2]
  • Before 1342 – Cavalca has the plural cristi “anointed ones”.[7]
  • Before 1571 – Benvenuto Cellini uses Cristo for an image of Christ.[2]
  • 1931 – Povero Cristo “a poor wretch” is recorded.[10]

Meanings

Proper noun

  1. Cristo: Christ, the title of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah: le parole di Cristo, avanti Cristo “BC”, dopo Cristo “AD”.[4][5][12][1]

Noun

  1. An image of Christ, especially a crucifix: Sopra il letto c'era un cristo di legno.[4][5][12][1]
  2. (colloquial) A wretched, ill-treated person: un povero cristo.[5][12][13]
  3. (colloquial) A very tall, big man: un cristo grande e grosso.[4]
  4. non c'è cristo, non c'è cristo che tenga: there is no way, nothing can be done.[4][5][13]
  5. (obsolete) One anointed by God, a king or priest.[7][8][11]

Interjection

  1. (vulgar) Expresses anger, surprise or frustration.[4][11][1]

Word family

  • cristianesimo
  • cristianità
  • cristianizzare
  • cristiano
  • cristologia
  • anticristo
  • messia
  • crisma
  • Latin Christus

Usage notes

The name of Jesus is written with a capital; the common noun senses (un povero cristo) usually with a small letter.[4][12][11] As an oath the word is felt as offensive, and euphemisms such as cribbio replace it.[11][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1165
  7. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  8. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  9. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  10. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3045
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  13. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana