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giudice

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word giudice

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
before 1294, Brunetto Latini
Inherited from
Latin iudex
Ultimate origin
Latin iūs,dīcō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin iudex
French juge
Italian giudice

Pronunciation

  • /ˈd͡ʒu.di.t͡ʃe/[1]

Forms

giudice m or f by sense (plural giudici)[1] An older and literary form is iudice;[2][3][1] Old and dialect forms include giodice.[2][3][1] Northern Italian has Venetian zudese and Lombard giüdes.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin iūdex (“judge”), from the accusative iūdicem.[5][6][7][1] GDLI calls it a semi-learned word.[3] The word is pan-Romance: French juge (the source of the English judge), Occitan jutge, Catalan jutge, Spanish juez, Portuguese juiz, Romanian jude and Sardinian zùighe.[6][8][1] Meyer-Lübke explains the French form by the influence of the verb juger.[8][4]

The Latin noun is a compound of Latin iūs (“law, right”) and the root of dīcō (“to say, show”), “the one who declares the law”.[5][6][7][9] Isidore of Seville already explained judges as those who “say the law” to the people.[3] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Italic *jowes-dik- and notes that the ending ⟨-ex⟩ in place of ⟨-ix⟩ is analogical.[10] Devoto points out that it stands to giudicare and giudizio as indice stands to indicare and indizio.[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Brunetto Latini, before 1294, for a public official who judges in a court.[5][6][7] Latini's Rettorica speaks of la persona de' giudici, “the person of the judges”, that is, of those before whom one speaks.[3]

Semantic evolution

Guittone d'Arezzo already attacks corrupt judges (Oh non giudici già, ma gioculare!, “Oh, not judges but jesters!”), and Dino Compagni blames i maladetti giudici for twisting the laws.[3] The wider sense, someone who judges people or things by their own choice or by appointment, is in Dante's Convivio of 1304–1308.[5] The plural for the leaders of Israel between Joshua and Samuel is in Cavalca before 1342.[5]

In medieval Sardinia giudice was the title of the ruler of each giudicato, with Latin iudices Sardiniae recorded from 864.[11][7][8] Modern compounds include the giudice popolare, a citizen drawn by lot to sit in the Corte d'Assise (1950), the giudice di pace and, in sport, the giudice di gara and giudice di linea.[5][7][2]

Timeline

  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses giudice for a judge in a court.[5]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses it for anyone who judges.[5]
  • Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses the plural for the Judges of Israel.[5]
  • 14th century – DEI records the title of the rulers of medieval Sardinia.[11]
  • 1893 – The Crusca dictionary records giudici del fatto for lay judges.[5]
  • 1950 – Giudice popolare is recorded.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A judge, a magistrate: a public official who administers justice: Il giudice ha rinviato l'udienza.[7][12][2]
  2. (law) The court or judicial authority competent in a case: giudice di primo grado.[7][12]
  3. Anyone who judges people or things, or who has the authority to give a verdict: Sei un pessimo giudice di cavalli.[7][13][12]
  4. (figurative) What shows the true worth of something: Il pubblico sarà l'unico giudice.[7][13][12]
  5. (sports) A judge or umpire who checks that a competition follows the rules.[7][12][1]
  6. (history) Each of the Judges who led Israel between Joshua and Samuel.[7][12][5]
  7. (history) The ruler of a giudicato in medieval Sardinia.[7][1][11]

Word family

  • giudicessa
  • giudicale
  • giudicare
  • giudicato
  • giudizio
  • giudiziario
  • giure
  • dire
  • Latin iudex
  • French juge

Usage notes

The noun is used for both men and women (il giudice, la giudice); the feminine giudicessa is uncommon or jocular.[12][1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  3. ^ a b c d e f Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  4. ^ a b Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  8. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  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. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1819
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  13. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier

Related etymologies

  • no · also from Latin
  • cosa · also from Latin
  • a · also from Latin
  • mio · also from Latin
  • uno · also from Latin
  • si · also from Latin
  • sapere · also from Latin
  • fare · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Giudice.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/giudice. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·