Etymologically
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figliolo

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Pronunciation

  • /fiʎˈʎɔ.lo/[1]

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

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