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identificare

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word identificare

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1640, Achillini
Borrowed from
Latin identifico
Ultimate origin
Latin idem,faciō

Pronunciation

  • /i.den.ti.fiˈka.re/[1]

Forms

identificare (first-person singular present identìfico, first-person singular past historic identificài, past participle identificàto, auxiliary avére)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Medieval Latin identificō (“to make identical”), a learned word of philosophical origin.[2][3][4][5] The Medieval Latin verb is formed from identicus (“identical”) and the stem of Latin faciō (“to make”), as in other verbs in -ficare.[2][3][6] The adjective comes from Late Latin identitās (“sameness”), from Latin idem (“the same”).[1]

French identifier is recorded from the early 17th century: from 1616 according to Battisti and Alessio, from 1610 according to the GDLI.[5][7] Zingarelli derives the Italian verb directly from identico.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's earliest date is for the pronominal identificarsi “to become one with”, in Achillini (before 1640); GRADIT gives the same date.[9][4] Zingarelli dates the word from 1585.[8] The transitive sense “to consider identical” is recorded in Anton Maria Salvini, before 1729.[9][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The verb began in the language of philosophy and logic.[5][10] Salvini writes that thought and speech, two words in Latin and one in Greek, are “identified” in Italian discorso.[10] In law it was used in the 17th century for an heir taking the place of the deceased.[5]

The sense “to establish someone's identity” is recorded in 1886 among Rigutini's neologisms.[9] Tommaseo–Bellini had already blamed French for an abuse of the word.[10] Battisti and Alessio link the police sense of identificazione with S. Ottolenghi's school of scientific policing, founded in 1902.[5] The pronominal verb also came to mean identifying with a character or a party.[3][8]

Timeline

  • 1585 – Zingarelli's date for the first record.[8]
  • Before 1640 – Achillini uses identificarsi.[9][4]
  • Before 1729 – Anton Maria Salvini uses identificare “to consider identical”.[9]
  • Before 1835 – M. Delfico uses identificarsi “to feel identical with another person”.[9]
  • 1886 – The sense “to establish someone's identity” is recorded.[9]
  • 1902 – Ottolenghi's school of scientific policing spreads identificazione.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To consider as identical, to treat two things as one: Molti identificano la felicità con il successo.[4][3][8]
  2. To identify, to establish who someone is: La polizia ha identificato l'autista.[4][11][12]
  3. To recognise or pinpoint something by its features: to identify the causes of a fault.[4][3][11]
  4. (pronominal identificarsi) To identify with a person or character, to empathise; to adhere fully to an idea or a party.[3][11][8]
  5. (pronominal identificarsi) To coincide: I loro obiettivi si identificano.[3][8][11]

Word family

  • identificabile
  • identificativo
  • identificazione
  • identificatore

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d e f Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1915
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  12. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana

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

“Identificare.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/identificare. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·