Etymologically
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difficoltà

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 20:41. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /dif.fi.kolˈta/[1]

Forms

difficoltà f (invariable)[1] Old Italian forms include difficultà, difficultade, difficultate and dificultà.[2] Difficultà survives as an archaic and popular form.[3][4][5]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin difficultās (“difficulty; scarcity”), from difficilis (“difficult”).[6][7][8][1] DELI and Zingarelli analyse the Latin noun as dis- and facultās (“ability, ease”), while the Oxford Latin Dictionary and Wiktionary derive it from difficilis with the suffix -tās.[6][4][9][1]

The same Latin word gave Engadine difficultà, French difficulté (1239), Spanish dificultad and Portuguese dificuldade.[10] The LEI separates the Italian forms that underwent popular sound changes from the northern forms that spread from Florence into the standard language and the south.[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is Bono Giamboni's translation of Orosius, of 1292.[2] DELI's first date is Giordano da Pisa, in 1303–1306, for “the quality of being difficult”: Se questo è di tanta difficultà e pericolo “if this is so difficult and dangerous”.[6][11]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian already used the word for a road full of obstacles, for a text hard to understand, for a bodily function performed with effort, for an obstacle, for poverty and for reluctance.[2] DELI dates “complication, obstacle” to the 14th-century Italian Livy, “objection” to Savonarola before 1498 and the plural “lack of money” to Giovanni Della Casa before 1556.[6] An Old Florentine text of 1322–1332 uses difficultade for a doubtful or disputed point.[10] The adjective difficoltoso is recorded from 1585.[6]

Timeline

  • 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses the word in his Orosius.[2]
  • 1303–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses difficultà for the quality of being difficult.[6]
  • 14th century – The Italian Livy uses it for “obstacle”.[6]
  • Before 1498 – Savonarola uses it for “objection”.[6]
  • Before 1556 – Giovanni Della Casa uses the plural for money troubles.[6]
  • 1585 – Difficoltoso is first recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. difficulty: the quality of being difficult: la difficoltà dell'esame.[8][3][4][1]
  2. An obstacle, a complication: Abbiamo incontrato parecchie difficoltà lungo la strada.[8][3][12]
  3. An impairment of a bodily function: difficoltà di respirazione.[8][3][12]
  4. Effort, trouble: Saliva le scale con difficoltà.[8][3]
  5. An objection: Non ha fatto difficoltà a prestarmi la macchina.[8][4][5]
  6. A difficult situation: trovarsi in difficoltà.[8][3][4]
  7. (chiefly plural) Financial straits: difficoltà economiche.[8][3][4][5]

Word family

  • difficoltoso

Usage notes

Difficoltà is feminine and invariable.[8][1] Common phrases are mettere in difficoltà, to put someone in a tight spot, and fare difficoltà, to raise objections.[8][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  5. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  7. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  10. ^ a b c Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 20, 373
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  12. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse