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diritto

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DELI, GRADIT and DEI give diritto a numbered entry for the adjective “straight” and another for the noun “law, right”: the adjective is inherited from Vulgar Latin, while DELI and DEI treat the noun as a learned word from Late Latin.[1][2][3]

diritto1 straight

Pronunciation

  • /diˈrit.to/[4]

Forms

diritto (feminine diritta, masculine plural diritti, feminine plural diritte)[4] The syncopated dritto is a common variant.[4][3] Old forms include Old Italian deritto and Old Italian dericto, and Old Venetian dreto.[5][6]

Etymology

The adjective is inherited from Vulgar Latin *dīrīctus, a spoken form of Latin dīrēctus (“laid out in a straight line”), the past participle of dīrigō (“to direct, set straight”), from dis- and regō (“to guide, rule”).[1][7][2][4] Wiktionary allows a Vulgar Latin *dērēctus as well, and the LEI finds that the ⟨i⟩ of the Italian forms probably points to ⟨*dīrīctus⟩, though the question is not settled.[4][8] The forms without the first vowel, such as dritto, show the frequent loss of the vowel before the stress.[3]

The word is pan-Romance: French droit, Occitan drech, Catalan dret, Spanish derecho, Portuguese direito, Romanian drept and Dalmatian drat.[7][6][8] In most of these languages it took the place of Latin dexter (“right-hand”), and as a noun the place of iūs (“law”).[6][3] Its learned doublet is diretto.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Umbrian confession formula from Norcia, of 1065.[5] DELI dates the senses “straight”, “right-hand” and “upright, honest” to Bono Giamboni, before 1292.[1]

Semantic evolution

The sense “standing upright” and the adverb “in a straight line” are recorded in Giovanni Villani, before 1348.[1] The moral sense survives in literature thanks to Dante's “la diritta via era smarrita” (the straight way was lost).[2][9] As a noun, diritto or dritto “right side” of an object with two faces is recorded in Leonardo, before 1519; the tennis forehand followed in 1956 and the knit stitch in 1970.[1] The feminine diritta “right hand” is recorded as dritta before 1786 and as diritta in 1848.[1]

Dirittura meant “uprightness” as early as Rinaldo d'Aquino, in the early 13th century, and dirittura d'arrivo “home straight” dates from 1956.[1] Addirittura “even, outright” grew out of the phrase a dirittura before 1431.[7] A Tuscan proverb says “Bue vecchio, solco diritto” (an old ox ploughs a straight furrow).[10]

Timeline

  • 1065 – The Umbrian confession formula of Norcia has the first record.[5]
  • Early 13th century – Rinaldo d'Aquino uses dirittura for uprightness.[1]
  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses diritto for straight, right-hand and honest.[1]
  • Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it for “upright” and as an adverb.[1]
  • Before 1431 – Addirittura is recorded.[7]
  • Before 1519 – Leonardo uses dritto for the right side of an object.[1]
  • 1956 – The tennis forehand and dirittura d'arrivo are recorded.[1]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. straight, without bends: una strada lunga e diritta.[2][11][12]
  2. upright, vertical, erect: Stai diritto con la schiena!, diritto come un fuso, bolt upright.[2][11][12]
  3. (figurative, literary) Honest, righteous: la diritta via.[2][11][9]
  4. (dated) Right, on the right-hand side: la mano diritta.[12][13][9]
  5. (figurative) Shrewd, smart (more often dritto).[12][11][14]
  6. (knitting) maglia diritta, punto diritto: plain stitch.[12][4]

Adverb

  1. Straight, without turning: Vai sempre diritto fino alla piazza, tirare diritto, to carry on regardless, rigare diritto, to behave.[9][14][2]

Noun

  1. The right side of a fabric, coin or other object with two faces.[12][4]
  2. (tennis) The forehand.[12][4]
  3. (knitting) The plain stitch.[12][4]

Word family

  • diritta
  • dirittezza
  • dirittura
  • addirittura
  • dirittamente

diritto2 law, right

Pronunciation

  • /diˈrit.to/[4]

Forms

diritto m (plural diritti)[4]

Etymology

DELI treats the noun as a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin dīrēctum (“what is right”), the neuter of the adjective used as a noun and opposed to tortum (“crooked; wrong”).[1] Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Treccani describe it simply as the adjective used as a noun.[7][11][9] DEI finds the Late Latin noun in the 8th-century Formulae of Sens and the phrase verbum ⟨directum⟩ “justice” in Gregory of Tours in the 6th century: it replaced classical Latin iūs (“law”) once the adjective had come to mean “just”.[3][15] The same development is found in Germanic, where Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (raihts) translates Greek ⟨díkaios⟩ “just”, and in German Recht, right and Old Irish recht.[3] DEI suggests that the loss of the Latin word was helped by its sameness of sound with ⟨iūs⟩ “broth”.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is Rinaldo d'Aquino, in the early 13th century, in the sense “what is just and lawful”, and the form dritto “claim, entitlement” appears in Giacomino Pugliese at the same time.[1] Brunetto Latini's Rettorica speaks of “la nostra causa piena di diritto e di giustizia” (our cause, full of right and justice).[16]

Semantic evolution

The sense “body of laws” is recorded in the translation of Brunetto Latini at the end of the 13th century, and “the science of law” in Sforza Pallavicino, before 1667.[1] In 14th-century Florentine trade diritto also meant a customs duty or a commission, as Medieval Latin ⟨dirictum⟩ already did in Venice in 1251.[3] Several modern phrases are calques: diritto naturale renders the ius naturale of Grotius (1625), diritti dell'uomo the English “rights of man”, and diritti d'autore a German phrase.[1]

Timeline

  • Early 13th century – Rinaldo d'Aquino and Giacomino Pugliese have the first records.[1]
  • 1251 – Medieval Latin dirictum “customs duty” is recorded in Venice.[3]
  • End of the 13th century – The sense “body of laws” appears in a translation of Brunetto Latini.[1]
  • 14th century – Diritto “duty, commission” is used in Florentine trade.[3]
  • Before 1667 – Sforza Pallavicino uses it for the science of law.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. law, the body of rules that govern a community: diritto civile, diritto penale, diritto internazionale.[2][11][12]
  2. Law as a science and a university subject: Si è laureata in diritto.[2][11][12]
  3. A right, a legally protected entitlement: il diritto di voto, diritti umani, human rights.[2][11][12]
  4. A claim based on custom or morality: Ho il diritto di sapere la verità.[2][12]
  5. Mostly in the plural, a fee or duty: diritti di segreteria, diritti d'autore, royalties.[2][14]
  6. (finance) An option right, and the coupon that represents it.[2]

Usage notes

Dritto is a common variant of the adjective and adverb and an old one of the noun.[4][14][9] Used as an adverb with a feminine or plural subject, diritto can agree or stay invariable.[9] Common phrases include a buon diritto “rightly” and di diritto “by right”.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1319
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  5. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  6. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 2, 588
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  10. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  13. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  14. ^ a b c d Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  15. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  16. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 4, 547