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omicidio

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word omicidio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
13th century, Patecchio, Splanamento (Cremona)
Borrowed from
Latin homicidium
Ultimate origin
Latin homō,caedō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin homo
French homme
French on
Italian uomo
Latin homicida
Latin homicidium
Italian omicidio
From the same root
Latin homuncio ← homo

Pronunciation

  • /o.miˈt͡ʃi.djo/[1]

Forms

omicidio m (plural omicidi)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin homicīdium (“homicide”), from homicīda (“man-slayer”).[2][3][4] The Latin noun is a compound of homō (“man, human being”) and -cīdium (“killing”), from the stem of caedō (“to cut; to kill”).[3][5][6] Semi-popular forms of the same word are Old French omecire, Old Occitan omicidi and Spanish homecillo.[7][8] Popular forms without the initial vowel, Old Italian micidio and mecidio, were also used, and Zingarelli still lists the first as obsolete.[9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the 13th-century Splanamento of Patecchio of Cremona;[9][10] Zingarelli dates the word 1266.[9][10] DELI's first Tuscan record is omecidio in Iacopone da Todi before 1306, where the poet warns of the dangers by which omecidia are born and families are ruined;[2][11] omicidio is in Domenico Cavalca before 1342.[2][11]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word meant the killing of one or more people, the crime of killing, and also a slaughter of many.[9] The old plural was the feminine le omicidia, which Giovanni Villani still uses.[12][13] Prati notes that the word was never really popular.[13]

In modern law omicidio is any unlawful killing of a person, its kinds marked by adjectives: omicidio colposo (through negligence), omicidio preterintenzionale (death following blows not meant to kill), omicidio premeditato and omicidio volontario.[14][15][10] The phrase omicidio bianco names a worker's death caused by the lack of safety measures, and omicidio stradale a road death caused by a drunk or reckless driver.[10][14][11]

Timeline

  • 1266 – Zingarelli's date for the word.[10]
  • 13th century – Patecchio of Cremona uses it in the Splanamento.[9]
  • Before 1306 – Iacopone da Todi uses omecidio.[2][16]
  • Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses omicidio.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. murder, homicide: the killing of one or more people: La polizia indaga su un omicidio avvenuto in periferia.[16][5][1]
  2. (law) The crime of causing the death of a person: omicidio colposo, omicidio volontario.[14][10][15]
  3. (obsolete) A slaughter, massacre.[9][10]

Word family

  • omicida

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  6. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  7. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2649
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ a b c d e f Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  11. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 11, 936
  12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  13. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti
  14. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  15. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  16. ^ a b De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET

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

“Omicidio.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/omicidio. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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