Etymologically
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legame

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 20:27. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /leˈɡa.me/[1]

Forms

legame m (plural legami)[1] An older form Old Italian ligame is now disused.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin ligāmen (“band, tie; bandage”).[5][6][7][1] The Latin noun is formed from ligō (“to tie, bind”) with the suffix -men.[8][1] The GDLI calls the Italian word an adaptation of the Latin one, and Zingarelli agrees.[9][3]

DEI places the word in Italy and the western Romance area.[10] Its relatives include French lien, Friulian leamb, Romansh liam in the Engadine and Sardinian ligamen in Logudorese.[11][12] In the dialects the meaning narrowed: Sicilian iama is a band of willow for tying, and an Abruzzese form means “broom”, the plant used for binding.[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Bono Giamboni (before 1292), for anything used to tie or fasten.[5][3] In his translation of Vegetius the ropes and ties of a bridge break and the men fall into the water.[9]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense “emotional or moral bond” is almost as old: Brunetto Latini has it before 1294.[5] Arrighetto (before 1313) uses legame for a logical link between words, the bond between “clean” and “unclean”.[5] Boccaccio writes of being freed from love's bonds.[13]

The literal sense has become uncommon; today the word means mainly a relationship of affection or obligation, and a connection between facts or ideas.[7][2][14] Chemistry gave it a technical sense, the forces that hold atoms together in molecules (legame ionico, legame covalente), and mathematics another, a constraint that entities must satisfy.[7][3]

Timeline

  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses legame for a tie or fastening.[5][9]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for an emotional or moral bond.[5]
  • Before 1313 – Arrighetto uses it for a logical connection.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (uncommon) Something used to tie or fasten, a tie or cord: Il prigioniero riuscì a sciogliere i legami.[7][2][14]
  2. (figurative) An emotional or moral bond, a relationship: Tra le due sorelle c'è sempre stato un legame fortissimo.[7][2][14]
  3. (figurative) A commitment that limits one's freedom: Non vuole legami.[2][4][15]
  4. A connection or logical link: La polizia non vede alcun legame tra i due furti.[7][2][14]
  5. (chemistry) The bond between atoms that holds a molecule or crystal together.[7][2][14]
  6. (mathematics) A constraint that two or more entities must satisfy.[7][3]
  • legare
  • legamento
  • Latin ligamen
  • French lien

Usage notes

A Tuscan proverb, a cattivo cane corto legame, “a bad dog needs a short leash”, means that unruly people must be held under strict rules.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  10. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2193
  11. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  12. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  13. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  14. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  15. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli