figliolo

Forms

figliolo m (plural figlioli, feminine figliola)^[1] The literary form is figliuolo, under which the TLIO lists the word.^[2][3][4] The plural was also figliuoi in Old Italian.^[5][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin fīliolus (“little son”), the diminutive of fīlius (“son”) with the suffix -olus.^[6][7][8][9] Sabatini–Coletti start from Vulgar Latin *filiolu.^[10] In Italian it can also be read as from Italian figlio + -olo.^[1]

The same Latin word survives as French filleul (“godson”), Spanish hijuelo (“little child”) and, in the Campidanese dialect of Sardinia, Sardinian filoru (“child to be baptised”).^[11] Meyer-Lübke notes that figliuolo replaced figlio in central Italy and in northern Italy except Piedmont.^[11] GDLI describes the Latin word as belonging to Italy and the western Romance languages.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, in the form filiolo, is in the rent books of the Badia di Coltibuono, at the end of the 12th century.^[7][6] The form figliolo appears before 1292 in Bono Giamboni, already as an affectionate form of address.^[7]

Semantic evolution

From the beginning figliolo was a warmer, more familiar word for a son than figlio.^[7][8] The old literature used the diphthongised figliuolo: Dante writes of “my son who is dead” (del mio figliuol ch'è morto), and Boccaccio of a man with three handsome and virtuous sons.^[5] Treccani notes that the word is felt as regional, especially Tuscan.^[3]

The word came to mean a boy or young man in general, often in exclamations of praise or of resignation, and a priest uses it to address the faithful.^[8][2][10] With a capital it is the Son, the second person of the Trinity, more often in the form Figliuolo.^[8][3] The parable of the prodigal son made figliol prodigo a name for someone who comes back after going astray.^[12][13]

Timeline

• Late 12th century – Filiolo appears in the rents of the Badia di Coltibuono.^[7]
• About 1261 – Zingarelli's date for figliuolo.^[12]
• Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses figliolo, also as a form of address.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. A son, with a familiar and affectionate tone: Ha tre figlioli, tutti già sposati.^[8][2][10]
2. (Christianity) With a capital, the Son, the second person of the Trinity.^[8][3]
3. A boy or young man, often in exclamations: È proprio un bravo figliolo.^[8][2][10]
4. A form of address from an older person to a younger one, or from a priest to the faithful: Ascoltami, figliolo.^[8][2][12]

Word family

• figlioletto
• figliolanza

Related words

• figlio
• figliola
• Latin filiolus

Usage notes

Il figliol prodigo, the prodigal son of the Gospel parable, is used jokingly of someone who returns after a long absence or goes back on a decision.^[12][13]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
4. ^ Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
5. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
6. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
11. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
12. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
13. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli