Etymologically
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ione

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Pronunciation

Forms

ione m (plural ioni)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English ion, a word coined in 1834 by the English physicist Michael Faraday,[2][3][4][5][1] who took it from Ancient Greek ἰόν (ión, “going”), the neuter present participle of εἶμι (eîmi, “to go”).[3][6][1] The name refers to the movement of charged particles from one pole to the other.[4][6] Devoto derives the Italian word from French ion, which GDLI dates to 1873.[7][8]

The derivatives are regular Italian formations (ionizzare, ionizzazione); ionosfera is formed with sfera on the model of atmosfera, and anione and catione go back to ἀνιόν (anión, “going up”) and κατιόν (katión, “going down”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first Italian record is in Lessona, 1875, for an atom or group of atoms that has gained an electric charge by losing or gaining electrons.[2][3][4] Zingarelli gives 1874.[9]

Semantic evolution

DELI quotes Mario Gliozzi: ione, anione and catione at first fell out of use, because the theories of the time did not allow for moving groups of atoms, and came back into favour with Svante Arrhenius's electrolytic theory of 1887.[2] The derivatives followed in the 20th century: ionizzazione (1903, in the title of a work by Augusto Righi), ionizzare (1904), ionico “of ions” (1933) and ionosfera (1949).[2][3] In 1939–1940 Palazzi's dictionary also recorded ionizzazione as a medical treatment, which drives medicines into the body with an electric current.[2]

Timeline

  • 1834 – Michael Faraday coins English ion.[2][3]
  • 1875 – Lessona uses Italian ione.[2]
  • 1887 – Arrhenius's electrolytic theory brings the word back into use.[2]
  • 1892 – Anione and catione are recorded.[3]
  • 1903 – Ionizzazione appears in a title by Augusto Righi.[2]
  • 1949 – Ionosfera is recorded.[2][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (chemistry, physics) An ion: an atom or group of atoms with a positive charge (catione) or a negative one (anione), after losing or gaining electrons: ione sodio, ione cloruro.[4][10][5]

Word family

  • ionizzare
  • ionizzazione
  • ionosfera
  • ionico
  • anione
  • catione
  • ionoforesi

Usage notes

Because it begins with the sound /j/, ione takes the articles lo, uno and gli: lo ione, gli ioni.[9][1] GDLI records a separate Tuscan phrase, andare a ione, “to wander about, waste time”, of uncertain origin.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 d e f g h Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 8, 485
  9. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse