Etymologically
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eccellente

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Pronunciation

  • /et.t͡ʃelˈlɛn.te/[1]

Forms

eccellente m or f by sense (plural eccellenti, superlative eccellentissimo)[1] Old forms include Old Italian escellente, Old Italian excellente and Old Italian ecciellente.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin excellens (“distinguished, excellent”), the present participle of excellō (“to rise above, surpass”).[4][5][6][1][7] Zingarelli calls it a learned word, and the LEI lists it among the learned forms of the Latin adjective.[6][8]

DELI analyses the Latin verb as “to rise beyond everyone”, from ex- (“out, beyond”) and a verb *cellō (“to rise”) that is not recorded on its own.[4] Nocentini compares that verb with Lithuanian kélti (“to lift”) and links it to the root of colle and colmo; it also lies behind eccelso and gelso.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Dante's Vita nuova, about 1292–1293, in the sense “at the top of a scale of value”.[2][4] Dante writes of words ne le quali io dessi ad intendere de le sue mirabili ed eccellenti operazioni (“in which I might make known her marvellous and excellent workings”).[9]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the adjective meant superior to others in some respect, highly skilled in an art, and, as a noun, a person of the highest worth; it was also an honorific attribute.[2] Dante asks in the Paradiso: Vedi se far si dee l'uomo eccellente (“See whether a man should make himself excellent”).[9] The related noun eccellenza is recorded in 1305–1306 and as a title of rulers and high officials before 1348.[4] DELI quotes Migliorini on how freely the title Eccellenza was granted under Fascism, until a decree of 1945 abolished it, though it stayed in use.[4]

The literal sense “high, lofty”, used of places, is now obsolete.[6][10] In journalism the adjective describes events involving prominent public figures, as in arresti eccellenti.[11][6] Sabatini–Coletti traces this to Francesco Rosi's film Cadaveri eccellenti (1976).[12][11][6]

Timeline

  • About 1292–1293 – Dante uses eccellente in the Vita nuova.[2][4]
  • 1305–1306 – Eccellenzia appears in Giordano da Pisa.[4]
  • Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses eccellenza as a title.[4]
  • About 1485 – The verb eccellere is recorded in Sannazaro.[4]
  • 1945 – A decree abolishes the title Eccellenza.[4]
  • 1976 – Francesco Rosi's film Cadaveri eccellenti comes out.[12]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Of a person: excellent, outstanding, superior to others in skill or merit: È un'eccellente pianista.[10][11][6]
  2. Of a thing: of the highest quality; of food and drink, delicious: Questo formaggio è eccellente.[10][11][13]
  3. (journalism) Involving prominent public figures: Nell'inchiesta sono finiti diversi nomi eccellenti.[11][12][6]
  4. (archaic) An honorific title of illustrious people.[11][12][14]

Word family

  • eccellentemente
  • eccellentissimo
  • sopreccellente
  • eccellenza
  • eccelso
  • eccellere

References

  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 21, 1267
  9. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 5, 10
  10. ^ a b c De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  13. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli