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nervoso

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word nervoso

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1320
Borrowed from
Latin nervosus
Ultimate origin
Latin nervus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin nervosus
English nervous
French nerveux
Italian nervoso

Pronunciation

  • /nerˈvo.zo/, /nerˈvo.so/[1]

Forms

nervoso (feminine nervosa, masculine plural nervosi, feminine plural nervose, superlative nervosissimo)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin nervōsus (“sinewy, muscular, vigorous”), from nervus (“sinew, nerve”) with the suffix -ōsus.[2][3][4][5][1] DEI compares French nerveux, used from the 13th century in the old sense “strong”.[6] Pliny already used the Latin word in botany, for plants that are fibrous, like Ancient Greek νευρώδης (neurṓdēs, “sinewy”).[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT dates the word before 1320.[4] DELI's first record is in the Italian translation of Pietro de' Crescenzi, about 1350, with the sense “of the nerves”.[2] DEI gives the old sense “strong, vigorous” in the 14th century, and Tommaseo quotes a medieval medical text that calls the substance of the stomach bene nervosa, well furnished with sinews.[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Redi used the word in the 17th century for the nerve fibres, and the anatomical sense became the main learned one.[6][8] The botanical sense, of leaves with strong veins, is recorded in 1828.[6] Alamanni asked for horses with sinewy legs (Sian nervose le gambe), a sense still used of a lean, agile body.[7][4]

The sense “easily irritated, highly strung” came in the 19th century: Tommaseo has it in 1869, and Mazzini before 1872.[2][6] Carducci used il nervoso as a noun for irritation in 1878, and mi viene il nervoso is now colloquial.[2][4] Critics apply the word to a terse, vigorous style, and the stock exchange to an unsettled market.[4][9]

Timeline

  • Before 1320 – GRADIT's first date.[4]
  • About 1350 – The translation of Crescenzi uses it for the nerves.[2]
  • 17th century – Redi writes of nerve fibres.[6]
  • 1828 – The botanical sense is recorded.[6]
  • 1869 – Tommaseo records the sense “irritable”.[2]
  • 1878 – Carducci uses il nervoso as a noun.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. (anatomy) Of the nerves: il sistema nervoso.[4][5] In medicine, of disorders of the nervous system: esaurimento nervoso.[4][5][10]
  2. irritable, easily annoyed; restless; also tense, anxious: Prima dell'esame era molto nervoso.[4][5][10]
  3. Showing tension: un sorriso nervoso.[4][5]
  4. Quick and energetic: una guida nervosa.[4][5]
  5. Of the body, lean and sinewy: gambe nervose.[4][9][10]
  6. (figurative) Of style, terse and incisive.[4][10][9]
  7. Of a market, unsettled, changing.[4][5]
  8. (botany) Of leaves or wood, with many prominent veins; of meat, full of gristle.[4][11]

Noun

  1. (colloquial) Irritation, a bad mood: Oggi ho il nervoso.[4][12][1]

Word family

  • nervosismo
  • nervosità
  • innervosire
  • nervosamente

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2574
  7. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  8. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  9. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  11. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  12. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli

Related etymologies

  • no · also from Latin
  • cosa · also from Latin
  • a · also from Latin
  • mio · also from Latin
  • uno · also from Latin
  • si · also from Latin
  • sapere · also from Latin
  • fare · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Nervoso.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/nervoso. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·