facile

Forms

facile m or f by sense (plural facili, superlative facilissimo)^[1] The old superlative facillimo follows Latin facillimus.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin facilis (“easy, feasible; compliant”), formed with -ilis from faciō (“to do, make”).^[4][5][1] The Latin adjective was both passive, “that can be done”, and active, “that lets things be done, yielding”, and both senses reached Italian.^[2][6] The TLIO suggests that the adverbial use may come straight from the Latin adverb facile (“easily”).^[7] French facile (1441) and Spanish fácil are learned as well.^[8][5]

The Latin verb continues the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁- (“to put”), whose aorist had a /k/ that Italic generalized.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Questioni filosofiche, a text from south-eastern Tuscany written after 1298, in the sense “requiring no effort”.^[7] DELI's first dated record is in Domenico Cavalca (before 1342): the goods of this life are fleeting and “facili a dispregiare” (easy to despise).^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

From the 14th century facile competed with the older agevole, which had been in use since the 13th.^[4] Old Italian already used it for people inclined to something, in a good sense (“willing”) and a bad one (“frivolous”), and had di facile “probably”.^[7] The adverbial facile “easily” was spread in the literary language by Ariosto in the 16th century.^[8][10]

Around 1960 journalists began to write avere il grilletto facile “to be trigger-happy”, after the English phrase, and then many similar phrases.^[4] The derivatives facilità (before 1419), facilitare (before 1460), facilone “one who thinks everything is easy” (1909) and faciloneria (1920, Gramsci) followed.^[4][5]

Timeline

• After 1298 – The Questioni filosofiche have the first record.^[7]
• Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses it for “easy”.^[4]
• Before 1419 – Giovanni Dominici uses facilità.^[4]
• Before 1460 – Facilitare is recorded.^[4]
• 16th century – Ariosto uses facile as an adverb.^[8]
• c. 1960 – Avere il grilletto facile follows English trigger-happy.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Easy, done without effort or difficulty: Il test era più facile del previsto.^[11][12][13]
2. Easy to understand, plain: un manuale facile.^[11][13]
3. Obtained without effort, often by doubtful means: soldi facili.^[11][12]
4. Easy-going, affable: Mio nonno ha un carattere facile..^[11][13]
5. Prone, inclined (a “to”): facile alle lacrime.^[11][13][14]
6. (of a woman, pejorative) Of loose morals: di facili costumi.^[13][3][14]
7. Likely, probable: È facile che il negozio sia già chiuso.^[13][14]

Adverb

1. (colloquial) Easily.^[14][10]

Word family

• facilità
• facilitare
• facilitazione
• facilmente
• facilone
• faciloneria

Related words

• fare
• difficile
• agevole
• Latin facilis

Usage notes

Facile come bere un bicchier d'acqua, “as easy as drinking a glass of water”, means very easy.^[11][12] Più facile a dirsi che a farsi is “easier said than done”.^[12][3]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
3. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
8. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1580
9. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
13. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
14. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana