laggiù

Etymology

It is from Italian là + giù, the phrase written solid, with the doubling of the consonant that follows a stressed final vowel.^[2][3][4][1] Old forms are Old Italian laggiùe and laggiuso, with the older adverb giuso.^[5][6][7]

The adverb giù goes back to Vulgar Latin iusum, a Vulgar Latin variant of Latin deorsum (“downwards”) that was reshaped after susum, from sursum (“upwards”).^[8] Romance has both types: Romanian jos continues the classical form, and Old French jus the Vulgar Latin one.^[8] The LEI also records old northern phrases such as Old Italian là gioso and là zoxo for “down there; in a distant place”.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is Dante, before 1321, as là giù and là giuso, in the sense “down there, down below”.^[2] In the Inferno Dante writes of a spirit weeping for “la colpa che là giù cotanto costa” (“the sin that costs so dear down there”).^[9][10] GRADIT, Nocentini and Devoto–Oli date the word before 1313.^[3][11][12]

Semantic evolution

Already in Dante the adverb could point to a place that is far away or lies to the south (1313–1319).^[2] It could also stand for costaggiù, the place below where the listener is: Dante asks “O anima, che se' laggiù nascosta” (“O soul hidden down there”).^[10][7] Boccaccio uses laggiù for going down from the house to the garden.^[10]

Today the word means “down there” or “over there”, and is often followed by a phrase that makes the place precise; it is used especially for the south of Italy as seen from the north.^[3][6][4] It is the opposite of lassù.^[6][10]

Timeline

• Before 1313 – The adverb is first recorded.^[3][11]
• 1313–1319 – Dante uses it for a distant place.^[2]
• Before 1321 – Dante uses là giù and là giuso for “down there”.^[2]

Meanings

Adverb

1. Down there, below: Guarda laggiù, nella valle.^[3][12][6]
2. Over there, in a distant place, often in the south: Che tempo fa laggiù in Sicilia?^[3][12][4]
3. Before an adverb or phrase of place, making it more precise: laggiù in fondo al corridoio.^[3]

Related words

• là
• giù
• lassù
• quaggiù
• costaggiù

Usage notes

Laggiù is opposed to lassù (up there), and to quaggiù (down here).^[6] The separate spelling là giù is less frequent, and laggiuso is archaic.^[7][4]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
5. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
6. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
8. ^ a b c Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 19, 1153
9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 8, 1
10. ^ a b c d Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
11. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
12. ^ 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