identico

Forms

identico (feminine identica, masculine plural identici, feminine plural identiche)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin identicus, formed from idem (“the same”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} DELI, Sabatini–Coletti and Zingarelli tie the adjective to Late Latin identitās (“sameness”), recorded from the 4th century, which was made on the same pronoun as a calque of Ancient Greek ταυτότης (tautótēs).^[2][6] The medieval adjective was then derived from the noun.^[2][6][7][1] Devoto explains the pronoun as neuter id (“it”) extended with the particle -em.^[8] The GDLI instead starts from the adverb identidem (“again and again”).^[9]

The neighbouring languages took the word at about the same time: French identique is recorded in 1652 and English identic in 1649.^[9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Fioretti in 1639, with the sense “completely the same”: he calls it a childish error in a philosopher to give the cause and the chance “an identical name” (identico nome).^[2][9][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th century the word took a technical sense in mathematics: an equazione identica has the same members on both sides of the sign.^[10][11] Through the 19th century it remained mainly a word of philosophy and science, used by Foscolo and Gioberti.^[9] Purists objected to its spread into everyday speech: Tommaseo called it overused in common language and blamed French for the habit, and Rigutini in 1886 wanted identico, identicità and identicamente kept for scientific use.^[2][11]

Today it is a word of high frequency, and it is often used as an intensifier: la stessa identica cosa means “exactly the same thing”.^[4][5][12] Modern algebra and physics use it for coinciding elements and for particles with the same quantum numbers.^[5][13]

Timeline

• 1639 – Fioretti uses identico.^[2][9]
• 1649 – English identic is recorded.^[9]
• 1652 – French identique is recorded.^[9]
• 1700s – The mathematical sense of an identical equation appears.^[10]
• 1812 – The abstract noun identicità is recorded.^[2]
• 1886 – Rigutini's dictionary of neologisms criticises the spread of identico outside science.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. identical, exactly alike; the same in every respect, often with a: Il tuo zaino è identico al mio.^[4][5][6][7]
2. Used to intensify stesso: la stessa identica cosa, exactly the same thing.^[4][5][12]
3. (mathematics) Of two elements of a set that coincide; of two polynomials equal for every value of the variable.^[4][5][13]
4. (physics) Of particles with the same internal quantum numbers.^[13]

Word family

• identicamente
• identicità

Related words

• identità
• identificare
• Latin idem
• French identique

Usage notes

È identico as a predicate means “it makes no difference”.^[7][14]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
7. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d e f g Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
10. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
11. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
13. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli