là

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin illāc (“that way; there”).^[2][1][3] The Latin adverb was the ablative feminine of ille (“that”), the source of il, with the deictic particle -ce added.^[4][2][5] It came from phrases such as illāc viā (“by that way”).^[1] The same adverb is French là, Occitan la and Spanish allá.^[2][6] The double /ll/ of Latin, lost in the standard language, survives in most regional varieties, such as Sicilian ḍḍà.^[1]

Nocentini derives colà separately, from Vulgar Latin *eccum illāc with the word that gave ecco.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is lae in a fragment of a Lucca register of 1268, and là appears at about the same time, or earlier, in the Elegia giudeo-italiana.^[4][5] There the poet laments Vidisi donni là desfare “women were seen there to perish”.^[7] Sabatini–Coletti date the word to the 12th century.^[8]

Semantic evolution

Dante writes tutta rimira là, dove 'l sol veli “all gaze there, where you block the sun”, and Petrarch Torna tu in là “go back over there”.^[9] Old Italian formed compounds such as laddove “where” (before 1313), lassù “up there” (13th century) and laggiù “down there” (before 1313).^[2] Petrarch also used là for time, là vèr l'aurora “towards dawn”, a use that is now literary.^[10][11]

Today là marks a place far from the speaker and usually from the listener, less precisely than lì.^[8][11][10] It appears in many fixed phrases: chi va là? and alto là! are sentries' challenges, va' là! expresses disbelief, qua e là means “here and there”, più in là “further on, later”, and al di là di “beyond”, from which comes l'aldilà “the afterlife”.^[3][11][10]

Timeline

• 1268 – Lae is recorded in a Lucca register.^[4]
• 13th century – The Elegia giudeo-italiana uses là.^[4]
• 1304–1308 – Colà is recorded.^[2]
• before 1313 – Laddove and laggiù are recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. there, in or to that place, away from the speaker: Metti la valigia là, vicino alla porta.^[5][3][8]
2. In contrast with qua or qui: Si spostava un po' qua e un po' là.^[5][10]
3. With prepositions and adverbs: di là “in the other room, that way”, in là “aside, further”, là sopra, là dentro.^[5][3][8]
4. After quello to point at someone or something, often dismissive: Quel tipo là non mi convince.^[5][3][10]
5. In exclamations and commands: Fermo là! Va' là! (disbelief).^[5][10][11]
6. (literary) Of time, towards: là verso sera.^[10][11]
7. In là con gli anni: getting on in years.^[8][5]

Word family

• laddove
• laggiù
• lassù

Related words

• lì
• il
• Latin ille

Usage notes

In Tuscan là causes doubling of the next consonant, which is visible in fixed compounds such as laddove.^[8]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e 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 Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
6. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
7. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 8, 649
8. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana