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laboratorio

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Pronunciation

  • /la.bo.raˈtɔ.rjo/[1]

Forms

laboratorio m (plural laboratori)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from New Latin laboratorium, first the workshop of the alchemist, from the adjective Medieval Latin laboratorius (“that can be worked”), derived from Latin labōrō (“to work”).[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary takes the adjective from Late Latin labōrātor (“worker”).[1] DEI instead derives the Italian word from French laboratoire, recorded in 1620, and dates it to the 18th century.[6][7]

DELI notes that all the dictionaries agree in making the chemist's workplace the first modern sense, as it is for the French word from the 17th century.[3] The popular forms lavoratorio and lavoratoio, from lavorare, correspond to it.[3][1][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is from the 17th century, in documents of the physical sciences in Tuscany, for a room equipped for scientific research and experiments.[3][8][2] The lavoratorio of the Sienese statutes of 1329–1335 is something else, an adjective meaning “working” in dì lavoratorio, a working day.[3]

Semantic evolution

Tommaseo's dictionary (1869) defines it as the place where chemical and pharmaceutical preparations are made, adding that in some places it is also the room where craftsmen do their work;[9][3] DELI dates the craft sense to that dictionary.[9][3] The older form lavoratoio appears in a statute of the Florentine leather-workers and in Francesco Milizia, for craftsmen's workshops.[7] The sense “room behind a shop where goods are made or mended” is recorded in 1957, together with laboratorista, a laboratory worker.[3]

In 1967 laboratorio linguistico appears, probably after English language laboratory, and laboratorio spaziale is a translation of English space laboratory.[3][4][10] In recent use the word also names a place or setting where new artistic, cultural or political experiences are worked out, as in laboratorio teatrale.[8][11][4]

Timeline

  • 1329–1335 – The Sienese statutes use the adjective lavoratorio “working”.[3]
  • 1620 – French laboratoire is recorded.[6][7]
  • 17th century – Laboratorio appears in Tuscan scientific documents.[3][8]
  • 1869 – Tommaseo's dictionary records the sense “craftsman's workshop”.[3][9]
  • 1957 – The sense “shop's workroom” and laboratorista are recorded.[3]
  • 1967 – Laboratorio linguistico is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A laboratory, a room or building equipped for scientific research, experiments and tests: Ha passato la notte in laboratorio a ripetere l'esperimento.[8][4][10]
  2. A workshop where craft work is done: un laboratorio di restauro del mobile.[8][5][12]
  3. A room next to a shop where goods are made, altered or repaired: Il gioielliere ha il laboratorio dietro il negozio.[8][5][11]
  4. (figurative) A place or setting where new artistic, cultural or political experiences are worked out; a workshop activity, as in laboratorio teatrale.[8][4][5][1]
  5. (technical) The part of an industrial furnace into which the material to be worked is put.[8]

Word family

  • laboratorista

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  6. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2145
  7. ^ a b c d 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 h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  10. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli