Etymologically
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meglio

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈmɛʎ.ʎo/[1]

Forms

meglio (invariable)[1] Old Italian also had the shortened forms Old Italian me’ and Old Italian mei, the second still northern.[2][3] The GDLI lists mèi and me’ as old forms.[4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin melius (“better”), the neuter of melior (“better”), which also gave migliore.[2][5][6][1] DELI and the GDLI call it a learned word, while Nocentini and DEI simply derive it from the Latin adverb, and DEI counts it among the words shared by the western Romance languages.[2][4][5][7] The same adverb gave French mieux, Old Occitan melhs and Sardinian mezus, and Sicilian megghiu is the Sicilian form.[5][8][1]

Devoto described the Latin word as archaic in structure and without connections outside Italy, a view DELI quotes.[9][2] De Vaan reconstructs Proto-Indo-European *mel-iōs but finds the Indo-European etymology weak, since Ancient Greek μάλα (mála, “very”) shows no e-grade and words for “good” are often renewed.[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Shortened mei appears in the Ritmo lucchese at the start of the 13th century, and me’ in Chiaro Davanzati later in the same century.[2] The full form meglio is first recorded before 1348 in Francesco da Barberino, in the sense “in a better way”.[2] As a noun, “the best thing”, it is found in Inghilfredi in the 13th century.[2]

Semantic evolution

The word served from the start as the comparative of bene, “in a better way”, and Boccaccio used it as such in the Decameron (1348–1353).[2][11] In the older language it could also mean simply “more” or “rather”, a use the dictionaries now mark as literary.[2][12][3] In Purgatorio 26 Dante is told that he gathers experience per morir meglio, “in order to die better”.[4]

Used as an invariable adjective it took the place of migliore in predicates: a translation of Palladius of about 1340 has quella è meglio, “that one is better”, beside è la migliore.[2] The sense “preferable” is in Iacopone before 1306, and è meglio che…, “it is better that…”, is still the usual construction.[2][6] Before a past participle it forms comparatives and, with the article, superlatives such as il meglio organizzato.[6][12] Popular speech also uses it before nouns in place of migliore, which the dictionaries mark as popular.[6]

Timeline

  • Early 13th century – The shortened mei appears in the Ritmo lucchese.[2]
  • 13th century – Inghilfredi uses the word as a noun, “the best thing”.[2]
  • Before 1306 – Iacopone da Todi uses it for “preferable”.[2]
  • 1300–1313 – Dante has mei for “in a more fitting way”.[2]
  • About 1340 – A translation of Palladius uses it as an adjective, “better”.[2]
  • Before 1348 – The full form meglio, “in a better way”, is recorded in Francesco da Barberino.[2]
  • 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses it as the comparative of bene.[2]
  • 15th century – Il meglio, “the best part”, appears in Giovanni Cavalcanti.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. better, in a better or more satisfactory way: the comparative of bene: Con la luce accesa leggo meglio.[6][13][12]
  2. stare meglio, sentirsi meglio: to be in better health or better off: Dopo la cura mia nonna sta meglio.[6][13]
  3. o meglio, per meglio dire: or rather, used to correct or sharpen what has just been said.[6][13][3]
  4. Before a past participle, more; with the article, most: la squadra meglio allenata del torneo.[6][3]
  5. (literary) More, rather, with verbs of wishing and loving.[12][3][6]

Adjective

  1. Better, chiefly after essere, sembrare and similar verbs, è meglio, it is preferable: È meglio partire presto.[6][13][14]
  2. (popular) With the article, best.[6]

Noun

  1. il meglio (masculine): the best, the best thing or part: fare del proprio meglio, to do one’s best.[6][1][2]
  2. la meglio (feminine), in avere la meglio: to get the upper hand, to win.[6][1]

Usage notes

Common phrases are alla meglio or alla bell’e meglio, “as best one can”, tanto meglio, “so much the better”, and per il meglio, “for the best”.[6][14] The GDLI also has a mèglio that is only a variant of miglio “millet”.[15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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 t 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 Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 10, 7
  5. ^ a b c 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 n De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  7. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2406
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 276
  10. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  12. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  13. ^ a b c d 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 Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  15. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 10