Etymologically
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gioco

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈd͡ʒɔ.ko/[1]

Forms

gioco m (plural giochi)[1] The traditional Tuscan form with the diphthong is giuoco, now literary.[2][3] Old and dialect forms include Old Italian ioco, Old Italian giuco, Old Italian giogo and Old Italian zoco, and an old feminine plural giocora.[4][1][5]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin iocus (“jest, joke”).[6][7][8][1] In Latin the word meant above all a joke in words, but it later replaced Latin lūdus (“game, play”), the game in action.[6] The GDLI calls it a semi-learned word.[4] The same word is pan-Romance: French jeu, Occitan joc, Catalan joc, Spanish juego, Portuguese jogo, Sardinian giogu and Romanian joc, which also means “dance”.[7][9]

De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *jokos from a PIE word Proto-Indo-European *yek- (“to speak”), meaning “word, utterance”, related to Umbrian iuku (“words, prayers”), Welsh iaith (“language”) and Old High German jehan (“to utter”).[10][1] Nocentini sees its earliest meaning as “ritual formula”, which became “verbal joke” in Latin.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Bono Giamboni, before 1292, in the sense of any game played for amusement or exercise: giuoca alla palla, ovvero ad altro giuoco di fanciullo (“he plays ball, or some other children's game”).[6][11] Brunetto Latini, before 1294, already uses it for a passion for gambling and figuratively for a joke or a trick.[6]

Semantic evolution

In the 13th century the word was also used for a contest or competition, and Dante (1313–1319) for a game played to rules;[6] Giovanni Villani, before 1348, uses the plural for public games and the singular for a stake.[6] The mechanical sense, “play” between two fitted parts, appears in Francesco Alunno before 1556, and “hand of cards” in 1887.[6]

Some uses come from French: the proverb il gioco non vale la candela translates le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, and gioco di parole copies jeu de mots.[6] The derivative giocattolo “toy” (1846), which Rigutini wrongly took for a Gallicism, goes back to Venetian zugatolo.[6][7] Today gioco also means a toy, a sport, and in the plural a sports meeting such as i Giochi olimpici.[8][3]

Timeline

  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses gioco for a game played for amusement.[6]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for gambling and for a joke.[6]
  • 1313–1319 – Dante uses it for a game played to rules.[6]
  • Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses the plural for public games.[6]
  • Before 1556 – Francesco Alunno records the mechanical sense “play”.[6]
  • 1846 – Giocattolo “toy” is recorded.[7]
  • 1887 – Petrocchi records the sense “hand of cards”.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A game, any activity done for amusement, recreation or exercise: i giochi dei bambini in cortile.[8][3][2]
  2. A competition played to rules, often for money; gambling: Ha perso tutto al gioco.[8][2][12]
  3. In card games, the cards a player holds and the position they give; figuratively, a hidden plan: scoprire il proprio gioco.[8][2]
  4. A sport, and the way it is played: un gioco veloce e corretto.[8][3][12]
  5. (plural) A sports meeting with several events: i Giochi olimpici.[8][3]
  6. A toy.[8][3]
  7. A play of light or colour, an interplay: giochi di luce.[8]
  8. A joke, a jest.[8][6]
  9. (mechanics) play, the small free space between two fitted parts.[6][1]

Word family

  • giocare
  • giocata
  • giocatore
  • giocattolo
  • giocattolaio
  • giochetto
  • giochino
  • giocherellare
  • giocherellone
  • giocoforza
  • giocoso
  • giocosità
  • videogioco
  • giocolare
  • giocoliere
  • giuoco
  • Latin iocus
  • French jeu

Usage notes

Fixed phrases include gioco da ragazzi (child's play), gioco di parole (a pun), fare il doppio gioco (to double-cross), farsi gioco di (to make fun of) and the proverbs ogni bel gioco dura poco and il gioco non vale la candela.[3][8][12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  5. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  7. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 6, 795
  12. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli