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naturalmente

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word naturalmente

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
before 1250
Ultimate origin
Latin nātūrālis
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin naturalis
French naturel
Italian naturale
Italian naturalmente
From the same root
French naturellement ← naturel

Pronunciation

  • /na.tu.ralˈmen.te/[1]

Forms

naturalmente (invariable)[1] Old Italian also had naturalemente.[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian naturale + -mente.[3][4][1] Tommaseo compares the classical adverb Latin nātūrāliter.[2] The adjective naturale is a borrowing of nātūrālis, from nātūra (“nature, birth”).[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT dates the adverb to before 1250 and Devoto–Oli to the first half of the 13th century, with the sense “by nature, according to nature”.[3][6]

Semantic evolution

The old sense “by nature” is common in the 14th-century writers: Dante's Paradiso speaks of motion here below “where one goes up and down naturally” (“dove si monta e cala / naturalmente”), and Boccaccio tells his ladies how compassionate they all are “naturalmente”.[2] Dante also speaks of vices to which man is naturally inclined.[4] Devoto–Oli now label this sense literary.[6]

The adverb also came to mean “without artifice, spontaneously” and, in modern use, “obviously, as was to be expected”, especially as a parenthetical word, and “certainly” as an answer.[3][6][4] In physics, moto naturalmente accelerato is the free fall of bodies in a vacuum.[4][3]

Timeline

  • Before 1250 – GRADIT's date for the adverb.[3]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses the adjective naturale.[7]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. Naturally, by nature, in keeping with one's character: È un ragazzo naturalmente timido.[3][6][4]
  2. Without affectation, spontaneously: Cerca di parlare naturalmente davanti alla telecamera.[3][6][8]
  3. According to the laws of nature, without human intervention.[3][4][8]
  4. Of course, as was to be expected, often as a parenthetical word: Era tardi e, naturalmente, il negozio era chiuso.[3][6][4]
  5. As an answer, “certainly”: «Mi aiuti?» «Naturalmente!»[3][6][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  5. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  7. ^ Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
Cite this entry

“Naturalmente.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/naturalmente. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·