Etymologically
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musica

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈmu.zi.ka/[1]

Forms

musica f (plural musiche)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin mūsica, short for an “art of the Muses”, modelled on Ancient Greek μουσική (mousikḗ) with τέχνη (tékhnē, “art”) understood.[2][3][4][1] The Greek word is the feminine of μουσικός (mousikós, “of the Muses”), from Μοῦσα (Moûsa, “Muse”), and covered not only music but also poetry and the arts in general.[3][5][6] Latin took over only the adjective mūsicus with it; mūsicālis is medieval.[2] The word is learned everywhere in Romance: French musique (12th century), Spanish música, and it has spread across the European languages.[3][7][8]

Several later derivatives follow other languages.[2] The phrase musica leggera translates English light music (1597), musicassetta reproduces English musicassette, musicologia seems inspired by German Musikwissenschaft, introduced in 1863 by Friedrich Chrysander, and musicomane follows French musicomane.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Ruggieri Apugliese of Siena, in the mid-13th century.[9] In Old Italian the word named first of all a discipline, one of the seven liberal arts, that teaches how to combine sounds harmoniously, and then any harmonious set of sounds of voices or instruments.[9][10] Brunetto Latini (before 1294) explains that the second art “si è musica, che c'insegna a far voci di canti in cetere, in organi, e in altri strumenti” (is music, which teaches us to make songs on citterns, organs and other instruments).[2][11]

Semantic evolution

The GDLI notes that the word long meant the theoretical, mathematical study of sound, part of the quadrivium beside arithmetic, geometry and astronomy, as opposed to the practice of song.[10] The sense “a work of this art” is recorded in 1561 (Citolini), “band” in 1627 (Lancellotti), the figurative “sweet sound” before 1564 (Domenichi), and the ironic “unpleasant noise” before 1535 (Berni), and “a tedious, repeated thing” before 1665 (Lippi).[2]

Musico was both adjective and noun (Dante, 1304–1308), musicale is recorded before 1304, musicare “to set to music” before 1527 (Machiavelli), and musicista in 1866.[2][3] Musicassetta appears in the 1970s.[2][3] French musiquette (1875) is taken from Italian musichetta.[7]

Timeline

  • Mid-13th century – Ruggieri Apugliese uses musica.[9]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini describes music as a liberal art.[2]
  • Before 1304 – Musicale is recorded.[2]
  • Before 1535 – Francesco Berni uses musica ironically for a noise.[2]
  • 1561 – Musica is used for a musical work.[2]
  • 1627 – Musica is used for a band.[2]
  • 1866 – Musicista is recorded.[2]
  • 1875 – French musiquette is taken from Italian.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. music, the art of combining sounds of voices or instruments according to rules and conventions: Da bambina studiava musica con la nonna.[4][12][5][13][1]
  2. The music of a style, period, instrument or author, as in musica classica, musica leggera, musica da camera.[4][12][5]
  3. A piece of music, a composition: Chi ha scritto le musiche di quel film?[4][5][6]
  4. Written music, the score: leggere la musica.[4][6][14]
  5. (colloquial) A band: Arrivò la musica del paese a suonare in piazza.[4][2]
  6. (figurative) A sweet, harmonious sound; ironically, an annoying noise or a tiresome repetition.[4][5][2]

Word family

  • musicale
  • musicista
  • musicare
  • musico
  • musicalità
  • musicante
  • musicologia
  • musicassetta

Usage notes

Other words spelled musica are the feminine of musico, once a woman singer or musician, and the name of a tropical sea snail with shell markings like musical notes (Voluta musica, before 1800).[4][10] Old Sienese also had a musica “mosaic” (before 1322), taken from Old French.[9]

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 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  6. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  7. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
  8. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  9. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  10. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  12. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  13. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli