Etymologically
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ehi

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is an expressive word, a cry made to call someone or to show surprise.[3][4][5][6] Nocentini calls it a Romance onomatopoeia.[4] Tommaseo compared Latin eho, a Latin call to a person, and hei, a cry of pain.[7] The compound ehilà adds là (“there”).[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in a Florentine translation of Ovid's Ars amatoria from before 1313, where ehi (also spelled hei) is the sound of bitter resignation; it also had the sense of a child's crying.[8] The modern call for attention is dated 1395 by Zingarelli, before 1444 by GRADIT and to before 1584, in Anton Francesco Grazzini, by DELI.[9][5][3] DEI puts the call in the 14th century.[10]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the word for pain as well as for calling: the commentator Francesco da Buti read it as an interjection of grief like ahi, and Boccaccio has “Ehi, messere, che è ciò che voi fate?” (hey, sir, what are you doing?).[7] In Giovan Battista Gelli it expresses joy and indignation.[7]

In modern Italian ehi calls someone in a familiar, friendly or threatening tone, answers a call, and expresses surprise or admiration.[5][9][11] The compound ehilà is dated to the early 17th century by Nocentini and to 1949, in Cesare Pavese, by DELI.[4][3]

Timeline

  • Before 1313 – Ehi as a cry of resignation in a Florentine version of Ovid.[8]
  • 1395 – Zingarelli's date for the call.[9]
  • Before 1444 – GRADIT's date for the call.[5]
  • Before 1584 – Anton Francesco Grazzini uses it to call for attention.[3]
  • Early 17th century – Ehilà is recorded.[4]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. hey!: calls someone's attention, in a friendly tone or as a sharp warning: ehi, Marco, aspettami!, ehi, tu, guarda dove metti i piedi!.[5][9][12]
  2. Expresses surprise or admiration: ehi, che macchina!.[5][9][11]
  3. (familiar) Answers someone who calls.[9][11]
  4. (familiar) Hails a person in a house or shop, in ehi di casa! and ehi di bottega!.[9][6]

Word family

  • ehilà

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d e Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  6. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  7. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  8. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1432
  11. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  12. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana