Etymology and origin of the Italian word fino
fino1 until, as far as
From the same root · fino1
Pronunciation
- /ˈfi.no/[1]
Forms
fino (invariable; often shortened to fin, with the variant sino)[2][3]
Etymology
The preposition is inherited from Latin fīne (“at the limit”), the ablative of the noun “limit, end”, used in prepositional phrases such as ⟨fine a(d)⟩ and ⟨in fine a(d)⟩.[4][5][6][7] Latin itself used fīne and fīnī in the sense “up to, as far as”.[1][8] The same use is found in Sardinian finas “until”.[9] It is thus the same word as the noun fine1, in a form fixed by its use as a preposition.[5][10]
Earliest recorded meaning
The first record is in the Storie de Troia e de Roma, of the 13th century, in the form fi: “Noi comenzamo da lo primo omo fi alla citate de Roma” (we began from the first man up to the city of Rome).[4][11] Dante has it in the Purgatorio: “fino a la fine” (to the very end).[11]
Semantic evolution
The preposition is used almost only before another preposition or an adverb (fino a, fin da, fin qui), for limits in time, space and quantity.[4][6] The adverbial sense “even” is in Matteo Bandello before 1561.[4] Compounds followed: finché (Brunetto Latini, before 1294), infino (early 14th century), finora (14th century), fintantoché (Boccaccio, before 1375), finanche (Cesare Beccaria, 1787) and perfino (1807).[4][5] Old Umbrian and Roman had finente, fino combined with a form of Latin intus.[12]
Timeline
- 13th century – The Storie de Troia e de Roma use the preposition.[4]
- Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses finché.[4]
- Before 1375 – Boccaccio uses fintantoché.[4]
- Before 1561 – Matteo Bandello uses fino “even”.[4]
- 1787 – Cesare Beccaria uses finanche.[4]
- 1807 – Perfino is first recorded.[5]
Meanings
Preposition
- until, up to a point in time, with a: Il negozio resta aperto fino alle otto.[6][2][3]
- As far as, up to a place: Ti accompagno fino alla stazione.[6][2]
- Since, from, with da: fin dal primo giorno.[6][3]
- Up to a quantity, a degree or an extreme: correre fino a perdere il fiato.[6][2]
Adverb
Word family
- finché
- finora
- fintantoché
- finanche
- infino
- perfino
fino2 fine, thin
From the same root · fino2
Pronunciation
- /ˈfi.no/[1]
Forms
fino (feminine fina, masculine plural fini, feminine plural fine, superlative finissimo)[1]
Etymology
The adjective is a popular variant of fine2, with the ending of the commonest adjectives in ⟨-o⟩; both continue inherited from Latin fīnis (“limit, end”) in the sense “extreme, the highest degree”.[4][5][7][3] Wiktionary posits an adjective Vulgar Latin *fīnus.[1] The same development is found in French fin, Occitan fi, Spanish fino and Portuguese fino.[5][9] The word passed into Turkish fino, for the best quality and for a small lapdog.[13][1]
Earliest recorded meaning
DELI and the TLIO treat fino together with fine, whose earliest records are before 1250, in Giacomo da Lentini, for gold or silver without impurities.[4][12] GRADIT dates fino before 1250 in the sense “pure”.[6]
Semantic evolution
Fino amore was the refined love of the medieval lyric, and Boccaccio calls a trusted friend amico fino.[6] Today the adjective is mostly used in fixed combinations such as sale fino, oro fino and cervello fino, and in colloquial fa fino “it looks classy”.[6][2][3] As a noun, il fino is the amount of pure gold or silver in a coin.[6][3]
Meanings
Adjective
- Fine, thin, finely ground: sale fino.[6][2][7]
- (figurative) Sharp, shrewd: cervello fino.[6][2][3]
- pure, without impurities: oro fino.[6][2][7]
- (colloquial) Refined, elegant: fa fino means it looks classy.[6][2][3]
Noun
Related words
Usage notes
Before a consonant the preposition is often shortened to fin (fin qui, fin troppo), and sino may replace it for the sound.[2][3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
- ^ a b c d e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
- ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
- ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
- ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
- ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
- ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 5, 1050
- ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
- ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1648
Derived terms
Related etymologies
Cite this entry
“Fino.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/fino. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.
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