decennale

Forms

decennale m or f by sense (plural decennali)^[1]

Etymology

It is learned: it is borrowed from Late Latin decennālis (“of ten years”), an adjective recorded in Ammianus Marcellinus.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The Latin word is derived from decennis (“lasting ten years”), the source of decenne, with the adjective suffix -ālis.^[3][1][7] Decennis itself is a compound of decem (“ten”) and annus (“year”).^[8][1]

The same Latin word was borrowed as Romansh decenal, French décennal (16th century), Spanish decenal and Portuguese decenal (1873).^[5]

DELI and the LEI first find the noun in Machiavelli (before 1527 in DELI, 1525 in the LEI) and the adjective only in 1800.^[2][5] Nocentini and Devoto–Oli put the first record in the 14th century, Zingarelli in 1481, DEI in the 16th century and GRADIT in 1830–1831.^{[3][9][6][4][10]}

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record DELI and the LEI give is a noun: a historical work in prose or verse covering a period of ten years, the sense of Machiavelli's Decennale.^[2][5][11]

Semantic evolution

The noun for a ten-year chronicle was used until the early 19th century; the LEI's last example is from Lanzi in 1809.^[5] Before 1696 F. Baldinucci used decennale for a period of ten years, a sense now held by decennio.^[5]

The adjective, “relating to a period of ten years”, is recorded from 1800, in G. A. Ranza.^[2][5] The GDLI quotes it from 19th- and 20th-century writers such as Dossi, who speaks of a decennale muffa (“ten years' mould”) on unpublished work.^[12][11]

The noun for the tenth anniversary of a memorable event, and the ceremonies held for it, is first recorded in the writings of Mussolini in 1932.^[2][5] In the plural, i decennali are the festivals of ancient Rome for the tenth year of an emperor's reign, a sense Tommaseo already gives, and which Sabatini–Coletti notes was revived in the Fascist period.^[11][13][14]

Timeline

• 1525 – Machiavelli uses decennale for a ten-year historical work (DELI: before 1527).^[5][2]
• Before 1696 – F. Baldinucci uses the noun for a period of ten years.^[5]
• 1800 – The adjective is first recorded, in G. A. Ranza.^[2][5]
• 1809 – Lanzi gives the last record of the noun for a ten-year chronicle.^[5]
• 1932 – The noun for a tenth anniversary appears in Mussolini's writings.^[2][5]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Lasting ten years, decennial: un mutuo decennale, a ten-year loan.^[10][13][6]
2. (uncommon) Having lasted for ten years: una lite ormai decennale.^[6][7]
3. Recurring every ten years: una festa decennale.^[10][13][14]
4. (uncommon) Of a decade, relating to a period of ten years.^[7][14]

Noun

1. The tenth anniversary of an important event, and the celebrations held for it: il decennale della fondazione.^[10][9][6]
2. (history, in the plural) In ancient Rome, the festivities for the tenth year of an emperor's reign.^[9][13][14]
3. (historical) A historical work in prose or verse covering ten years.^[2][5]

Word family

• decennalmente

Related words

• decenne
• decennio
• Latin decennalis
• French décennal

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1224
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 19, 530
6. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
9. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
10. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 4
13. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
14. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)