Etymologically
Log in

omicidio

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 19:38. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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