Etymologically
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naturalmente

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 21:09. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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