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elettrico

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word elettrico

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1660, Lorenzo Magalotti
Borrowed from
French électrique
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον

Pronunciation

  • /eˈlɛt.tri.ko/[1]

Forms

elettrico (feminine elettrica, masculine plural elettrici, feminine plural elettriche)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French électrique, recorded in French in the same year, 1660, from New Latin electricus.[2][3][4] Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Treccani derive it directly from the New Latin word.[5][6][7] The Latin adjective is usually credited to the English physician William Gilbert, the author of a treatise on the magnet published in 1600, though it is documented only somewhat later.[2][5][8] Gilbert formed it from Latin ēlectrum (“amber”), a loan of Ancient Greek ἤλεκτρον (ḗlektron, “amber”), because the attraction of light bodies that he studied was first observed in amber rubbed with cloth.[2][5][6][1]

The other words of the family also came through French: elettricità in 1715, after French électricité, which itself follows the English electricity of 1646, and elettrizzare in 1739, after électriser.[2] English had electric by 1646 as well.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

Lorenzo Magalotti uses the adjective in 1660 for substances that attract light bodies when rubbed, such as amber; he writes of sustanze elettriche “electric substances”.[2][9][10] This was the sense of the 17th-century experiments of the Accademia del Cimento, which Magalotti recorded.[11]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century the adjective followed the new science of electricity: Francesco Algarotti already used elettrizzare in the figurative sense “to thrill, excite” in 1746.[2] With the spread of electric power in the 19th and 20th centuries the word came to describe every machine or device driven by electricity: luce elettrica, treno elettrico, sedia elettrica (the last after English electric chair).[9][8]

Figurative uses describe a tense or restless mood, or a lively person who cannot keep still.[3][6][12] Blu elettrico is a brilliant blue like the colour of an electric spark, a usage DEI considers a Gallicism.[12][7][8] As a noun, elettrico names a worker in the electricity industry, mostly in the plural, a usage recorded from 1954.[2][3]

Timeline

  • 1600 – William Gilbert's De Magnete is credited with the New Latin electricus.[2][5]
  • 1660 – Lorenzo Magalotti uses elettrico.[2]
  • 1715 – Elettricità is recorded.[2]
  • 1739 – Elettrizzare appears, in Antonio Conti.[2]
  • 1886 – Elettricista “electrician” appears in the title of a technical manual.[2]
  • 1931 – Elettrificare is recorded.[2]
  • 1954 – The noun elettrico “electricity worker” is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. electric, electrical: relating to electricity (elettricità), its production and its use: L'impianto elettrico della casa è da rifare.[3][6][4][1]
  2. Of a machine or device: working by electricity, or producing it: una chitarra elettrica, una centrale elettrica.[3][6][12]
  3. (zoology) Of the organs of certain fish, such as the torpedine: producing electric discharges.[4][7]
  4. (figurative, colloquial) Tense, nervous, or restless and full of energy: Prima dell'esame era elettrico.[3][6][12]
  5. In blu elettrico: a vivid, bright blue.[12][7][13]

Noun

  1. (chiefly in the plural) A worker in the electricity industry.[3][12][7]

Word family

  • elettricità
  • elettricista
  • elettrificare
  • elettrificazione
  • elettrizzare
  • elettrizzante
  • elettrizzazione
  • elettricamente
  • dielettrico

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  4. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  8. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1440
  9. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  10. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 401
  11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  12. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Elettrico.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/elettrico. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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