Etymologically
Log in

inizio

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 19:41. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /iˈnit.t͡sjo/[1]

Forms

inizio m (plural inizi)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin initium (“beginning, (plural) mysteries”).[2][3][4][5] The Latin noun is formed on ineō (“to go into, enter; to begin”), from in- (“in”) and eō (“to go”).[2][3][1][6] Its derivative initiō (“to initiate”) first referred to admission to religious mysteries and only later meant “to begin”.[2][7] Spanish inicio is the same borrowing.[3]

Popular continuations are rare: DEI and REW name Sardinian binittu, in Logudorese the loop of a rope thrown round the post at threshing, and inghizzai (“to begin”) in Campidanese.[7][8] The verb iniziare in a half-learned form is widespread in northern dialects, often in the sense “to cut into a food for the first time”, which DELI finds already in Late Latin.[7][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Ritmo cassinese, from the early 13th century, in the sense “the first moment or stage of something”.[9] DELI's first sure record is in Dante's Commedia (1313–1319); an earlier example in the Convivio is doubtful.[2] GRADIT gives 1313–1319.[4]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word also meant the origin or cause of something, the starting point of a space, the first teachings of a subject and, in the plural, pagan mysteries.[9] In 1869 Tommaseo thought inizio rare in use, though iniziare and iniziale were common, and preferred principio for the beginning of being.[10] Since then it has become a basic word: GRADIT marks it as part of the fundamental vocabulary.[4] DELI dates the sense “initial phase” to 1889, in D'Annunzio, and the plural gli inizi “the early days” is now common.[2][4]

Timeline

  • Early 13th century – The Ritmo cassinese uses the word.[9]
  • 1313–1319 – Dante uses it in the Commedia.[2]
  • 1869 – Tommaseo calls the word rare in current use.[10]
  • 1889 – D'Annunzio uses it for “initial phase”.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. beginning, start, the act of starting: Il fischio d'inizio è alle tre.[4][11][5]
  2. the point where something begins: all'inizio del sentiero.[4][12]
  3. the first stage or opening part of something: l'inizio del film, inizio estate.[4][13]
  4. (plural) the early days, origins: gli inizi del cinema sonoro.[4][11][13]
  5. (colloquial) a first sign: un inizio di influenza.[4][11]

Word family

  • iniziale
  • inizialmente
  • iniziare
  • iniziativa
  • iniziato
  • iniziatore
  • iniziazione
  • iniziatico

Usage notes

Common phrases are all'inizio “at first”, dare inizio a “to start” and avere inizio “to begin”.[4][12][14]

References

  1. ^ a b c 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 c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2036
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  10. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  12. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  13. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli