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messaggio

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word messaggio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1225, Venetian treaty with Aleppo
Borrowed from
Old French message
Ultimate origin
Latin mittō

Pronunciation

  • /mesˈsad.d͡ʒo/[1]

Forms

messaggio m (plural messaggi)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French message, recorded in French from the end of the 11th century and formed from mes (“messenger”), from Latin missus (“one sent, envoy”), the past participle of mittō (“to send”).[2][3][4][5][6] GRADIT, Gabrielli and Wiktionary derive the French word instead from Medieval Latin missāticum (“embassy, message”), recorded from 806 and formed from the same participle with -āticum.[7][8][1] The Occitan form is mesatge, and Spanish mensaje also comes from French.[3][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is a Venetian treaty with Aleppo of 1225, where the word means a person sent with a message, an envoy.[10] DELI's first record of the sense “news sent to others” is before 1250, in an anonymous poet and Giacomo da Lentini.[2][7]

Semantic evolution

For a long time the word meant the messenger as well as the message: Dante writes of two souls coming “in forma di messaggi” (as messengers), and Boiardo still has “il messaggio subito fu andato” (the messenger went at once).[11][12] Messaggero (before 1292) is from French messager, and messaggeria (1219, messaggiaria) from French messagerie.[2][3]

The solemn address of a political or religious authority is recorded from Carlo Botta (1809), probably after English message, used in this sense from 1566.[2][13] The sense “new teaching that opens the way to future developments” is from 1957, and messaggio pubblicitario “advertisement” from 1963.[2] The modern dictionaries add the senses of information theory, of computing and of the short text sent by mobile phone, also called messaggino.[7][5][12]

Timeline

  • 1225 – A Venetian treaty with Aleppo uses messaggio for an envoy.[10]
  • Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses it for a message.[2]
  • Before 1292 – Messaggero is recorded in Bono Giamboni.[2]
  • 1809 – Carlo Botta uses it for a solemn address.[2]
  • 1957 – The sense “innovative teaching” is recorded.[2]
  • 1963 – Messaggio pubblicitario is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A message, a piece of news or a communication sent to someone in speech, in writing or by other means: Ti ho lasciato un messaggio in segreteria.[7][4][5]
  2. A text message sent by phone or through a chat: Mandami un messaggio quando arrivi.[5][1]
  3. A solemn address by a high political or religious authority: il messaggio di fine anno del presidente.[7][4][12]
  4. An official communication from the head of state to the legislature.[7][14]
  5. (figurative) A teaching or doctrine that deeply influences thought: il messaggio del Vangelo.[7][4][12]
  6. The idea or moral that a book, a film or a work of art conveys.[7][4]
  7. (information theory, computing) A set of signals or data in a code, sent from a source to a receiver.[7][4][14]
  8. (archaic) A messenger.[7][4][14]

Word family

  • messaggero
  • messaggeria
  • messaggino
  • messaggistica

Usage notes

Messaggio in bottiglia is a message in a bottle, and figuratively a last desperate appeal.[12][8]

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 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ a b Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  12. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2436
  14. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Messaggio.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/messaggio. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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