Etymologically
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magari

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Pronunciation

  • /maˈɡa.ri/[1]

Forms

magari (invariable)[1] Old forms are Old Italian macara (Cielo d'Alcamo), macare (Iacopone da Todi) and magara, which Dante describes as typical of the people of Brescia, Verona and Vicenza.[2] The fuller magari Dio is found in Varchi.[3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Byzantine Greek μακάρι (makári, “would that, if only”), a Byzantine Greek word recorded in Hesychius in the 5th century.[2][5][6][1] The Greek interjection comes from Ancient Greek μακάριος (makários, “happy, blessed”), through its vocative μακάριε (makárie) (“o happy one!”) according to DELI and Devoto–Oli, or through the neuter ⟨makárion⟩ “it is good” according to Nocentini.[2][7][5] Treccani takes it as the Byzantine form of the neuter nominative.[8]

The word reached the West by several routes at different times.[2] DELI thinks Italian received it twice, through the Greek-speaking south and through the Exarchate of Ravenna.[2] Nocentini speaks of several centres of diffusion in the dialects: the northern form with ⟨g⟩, spread from Venetia and Romagna, is the one standard Italian adopted, in the 16th century.[2][5] Devoto explains the ⟨g⟩ as northern voicing of the ⟨c⟩.[9] The use of the plural μακάριοι (makárioi, “blessed”) in the Beatitudes of Matthew may have helped the word's special meaning in Greek.[5][2] It also went into Ibero-Romance, as Spanish maguer (“although”), recorded in the form ⟨macare⟩ from the middle of the 10th century, and is found in Portuguese macar, Romanian măcar (“at least, even”) and Sicilian macari.[2][5][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the form macara in Cielo d'Alcamo's contrasto, before 1250, as an exclamation of strong wish.[2][5][10] The form magari itself appears in 1585, in Giovan Maria Cecchi.[2]

Semantic evolution

Iacopone da Todi uses macare for a wish that cannot come true: “Macare ke-mme àbberano uccisa!” (if only they had killed me!).[11] The conjunction “would that” (with the subjunctive) is recorded in 1598, in Florio's dictionary.[2] The adverbial senses are much later: “perhaps, probably” in the 19th century (magara before 1842, magari 1891) and “even” before 1898.[2] In colloquial use the word also became an eager yes («Vuoi venire?» «Magari!»), and a concessive conjunction “even if” with the subjunctive.[6][7] Corominas explained the concessive value of the Spanish word as a kind of courtesy towards the person spoken to, wishing that what they suggest may happen.[2]

Timeline

  • Before 1250 – macara in Cielo d'Alcamo.[2]
  • Before 1303 – Dante names magara as a word of Brescia, Verona and Vicenza in the De vulgari eloquentia.[2][6]
  • Before 1306 – macare in Iacopone da Todi.[2]
  • 1585 – magari in Giovan Maria Cecchi.[2]
  • 1598 – Florio records the conjunction “would that”.[2]
  • 1891 – magari “perhaps” is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Interjection

  1. Expresses a strong wish or hope, often one felt to be out of reach: “if only!”, “I wish!”: «Ti piacerebbe un mese al mare?» «Magari!»[6][7][10]
  2. (colloquial) As an eager or polite yes: «Un caffè?» «Magari.»[6][7][8]

Conjunction

  1. (with the subjunctive) Would that, if only: Magari smettesse di piovere![6][10][8]
  2. (colloquial) (with the subjunctive) even if: Ci arriverò, magari dovessi camminare tutta la notte.[6][7][10]

Adverb

  1. perhaps, maybe: Magari ha perso il treno.[6][10][8]
  2. even, actually: Sarebbe capace magari di dire di no.[6][7][10]
  3. (colloquial) Rather, if need be: Magari dormo in macchina, ma domani parto.[6][12]
  • Byzantine Greek μακάρι (makári)
  • Ancient Greek μακάριος (makários)

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 l m n o p q r s Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  4. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 615
  5. ^ a b c d e f 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  7. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  9. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  10. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 9, 424
  12. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse