lode

Forms

lode f (plural lodi)^[1] Old and literary forms are Old Italian loda, the most frequent in early texts, and Old Italian lodo; the learned laude and lauda keep the Latin diphthong.^[2][3][4] The old plural was also le loda or le lode.^[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin laus (“praise”), through its accusative.^[2][5][6][1] The ⟨o⟩ is the popular reduction of the Latin diphthong ⟨au⟩, while laude and lauda keep it.^[3][5] Meyer-Lübke thought that the form in ⟨-e⟩, beside Old Italian loda, may be a regular inherited outcome of the Latin nominative and accusative.^[7] The GDLI calls the word semi-learned.^[4]

The Latin noun survives in Old French los (“praise, approval”), whose modern descendant lods became a tax on the transfer of property.^[7] Romanian laudă, Spanish loa and Portuguese loa are more likely back-formations from the verb.^[7]

The Latin noun is isolated within Latin.^[2][8] De Vaan notes that the only proposed connection is with Proto-Germanic *leuþa- (“song”), as in Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (awiliuþ, “song of praise”) and Old English lēoþ (“song”), which would need an earlier ⟨*lou-Vd(h)-⟩ behind the Latin noun.^[9] Wiktionary gives a root Proto-Indo-European *lēwt-, Proto-Indo-European *lēwdʰ- (“song, sound”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nocentini and GRADIT date the word to 1294, and Zingarelli to about 1261.^[5][6][10] DELI's first dated record is in Dante, before 1321, with the sense “approval, praise”, mostly in the form loda.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word named praise given to a person or deed: Dante in the Convivio warns that la propria loda e lo proprio biasimo è da fuggire (“one's own praise and one's own blame are to be avoided”), and Petrarch wrote D'altrui loda curerai sì poco.^[4] Buti, before 1406, used it for a prayer: Inno tanto è a dire, quanto loda d'Iddio (“a hymn means praise of God”).^[2] Petrarch also used lode for a deed worth praising, a sense now only literary.^[6][3]

The phrase senza infamia e senza lode, “without disgrace and without praise”, that is “mediocre”, adapts a line of Dante and lived on with his fame.^[2][11][10] In 1869 Tommaseo recorded the school sense, the special mark of merit added to the highest grade in a university exam;^[2][12][6] dieci e lode was once the top mark in primary and middle schools and is now said of anything done perfectly.^[2][12][6]

Timeline

• Before 1294 – First record of lode.^[6][5]
• Before 1321 – Dante uses loda, lode, lodo and laude for “approval, praise”.^[2]
• Before 1406 – Buti uses loda for a prayer of praise.^[2]
• 1869 – Tommaseo records the mark of merit in university exams.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. praise, full approval of a person, of what they have done or of a thing: Le sue parole di lode mi hanno commosso.^[6][13][3]
2. (chiefly in the plural) Words or a speech that celebrate someone's merits, sometimes flattering: tessere le lodi di qualcuno, to sing someone's praises.^[3][11][13]
3. Merit, credit: a sua lode, to his or her credit.^[6][13]
4. (religion) glorification of God; a prayer or hymn of praise: rendere lode a Dio.^[6][14][11]
5. (education) distinction: a mark of special merit added to the highest grade in a university exam or degree, as in trenta e lode and centodieci e lode; formerly dieci e lode in primary and middle schools.^[6][13][12]
6. (figurative) Dieci e lode!, said in full (or ironic) approval.^[6][13]
7. (literary) A deed worthy of praise; fame.^[6][3][10]

Related words

• lodare
• lodevole
• lauda
• laude
• Latin laus

Usage notes

Senza infamia e senza lode means “neither good nor bad, mediocre”.^[10][14] Lodi mattutine are the morning prayers of the Divine Office, Lauds.^[14][6] Zingarelli distinguishes lode, unconditional approval, from elogio, now used as its synonym but originally a speech or composition celebrating someone, and encomio, originally a song in praise of a great person.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d 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 Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
9. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
12. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
13. ^ 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
14. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli