mollezza

Forms

mollezza f (plural mollezze)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin mollitia (“softness; luxury”), formed on mollis (“soft”).^{[2][3][4][1][5]} Sabatini calls it the popular form beside the learned mollizia, and Wiktionary calls the two doublets.^[6][1] For GRADIT it is from Italian molle + -ezza.^[7]

The same Latin word is French mollesse, Occitan molesa and Spanish molleza.^[8][9]

De Vaan derives the Latin adjective from Proto-Italic *moldu-(i-) and Proto-Indo-European *ml̥d-u- (“soft”).^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is a 13th-century sonnet by G. degli Antelminelli, with the sense “the quality of being soft”.^[11] The poet asks why iron files iron, whether from the grain of the metal, its temper or the mollezza of what is filed.^[12]

Semantic evolution

Zingarelli dates the word to 1282, and the GDLI quotes Ristoro d'Arezzo, who lists the softness and hardness of plants beside their colour and smell.^[4][12] An old saying ran La mollezza dell'acqua passa la durezza della pietra (“the softness of water overcomes the hardness of stone”).^[13][12]

Moral senses grew early: mollezza di pietade is the soothing of pity, and in the plural the word came to mean excessive comforts, a sense DELI dates to Villani before 1363, who contrasts manly virtues with disoneste mollezze di donne.^[13][11] The learned mollizie appears in Giordano in 1305–06.^[11] Tommaseo also records softness of style in painting and writing.^[13] Today the literal sense is rare, and the figurative ones for weakness of character and a life of luxury are the common ones.^[14]

Timeline

• 13th century – G. degli Antelminelli uses mollezza.^[11]
• 1282 – Zingarelli's date for the word.^[4]
• 1305–1306 – The learned mollizie is recorded in Giordano.^[11]
• Before 1363 – Mollezze in the plural, “excessive comforts”, in Villani.^[11]

Meanings

Noun

1. softness: lack of firmness or consistency.^[7][3][15]
2. (figurative) Weakness of character, lack of energy or resolve; also laxity of morals: La sua mollezza con gli studenti gli è costata il posto.^{[7][3][6][14][16]}
3. (figurative, usually plural) Luxury and excessive comforts: Il principe era abituato alle mollezze della corte.^[7][3][4]
4. (uncommon) Delicacy, soft grace in style, outline or bearing.^[7][3][14]

Related words

• molla
• molle
• rammollire
• mollizia
• Latin mollitia
• French mollesse

Usage notes

Treccani notes that the literal sense is rare, and that the figurative senses are the usual ones.^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
7. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
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. ^ a b c d e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
13. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
15. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
16. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli