ottimo

Forms

ottimo (feminine ottima, masculine plural ottimi, feminine plural ottime)^[1] An old spelling is optimo.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin optimus (“best”), which served in Latin as the superlative of bonus (“good”);^[3][4][5][6] DEI and Zingarelli call it a learned word.^[3][4][5][6] Nocentini compares Spanish óptimo.^[5]

DELI, Nocentini and Devoto–Oli connect the Latin word with ops (“abundance, wealth, resources”), so that it first meant “well provided”;^[7][5][8] DELI points to the plural optimātēs, the aristocratic party, which matches Ancient Greek ἄριστοι (áristoi, “the best men”).^[7][5][8] The Oxford Latin Dictionary calls the link only possible.^[9] De Vaan traces the noun to Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“ability, force”), with cognates such as Hittite happina- (“rich”) and Sanskrit अप्नस् (ápnas-, “possession”).^[10]

Several derivatives came through other languages: ottimismo from French optimisme, first used in the Trévoux dictionary of 1752 of Leibniz's theodicy and spread by Voltaire's novel Candide (1759); ottimale from English optimal; and ottimizzare from optimize.^[7][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the noun, “that which is or is held to be best”, in Guittone d'Arezzo before 1294; the adjective, as the superlative of buono and in the sense “excellent”, is in the Italian version of Albertano of about 1300.^[7][6] Zingarelli dates the word before 1257.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Early poets used it as a lofty word: Dante's Convivio speaks of an “ottima felicitade”, and Petrarch of “l'ottima parte” of himself.^[11] An early translation follows the Latin construction omnium optimus: man, when perfect, “è ottimo di tutti gli animali” (is the best of all animals).^[12] The adverb ottimamente is in Dante (1304–1308), and ottimate, a powerful citizen, in the 14th century.^[7]

In the 20th century ottimo became the highest merit rating given to state employees (1958) and a school mark.^[7][1] It is also used alone as an exclamation of approval.^[4][6] The Latin form optimum entered Italian in 1942.^[5]

Timeline

• Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses ottimo as a noun.^[7]
• About 1300 – The Italian version of Albertano uses it as an adjective.^[7]
• 1304–1308 – Ottimamente appears in Dante.^[7]
• 1752 – French optimisme is coined, the source of ottimismo.^[7]
• 1942 – Optimum is recorded.^[5]
• 1950 – Ottimale is recorded.^[7]
• 1958 – Ottimo is recorded as a merit rating.^[7]
• 1970 – Ottimizzare is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Very good morally: Sua madre è una donna ottima.^[6][8][13]
2. Very capable, skilled: un ottimo chirurgo.^[8][13][14]
3. excellent, of very high quality: Questo formaggio è ottimo.^[6][8][1]
4. Very favourable or satisfying: un'ottima idea.^[6][13]
5. In excellent condition, of health or a bodily organ.^[6]

Noun

1. The best, the optimum.^[4][15][1]
2. The highest mark or rating, at school or in the civil service.^[4][15][7]

Interjection

1. Excellent!, expressing approval.^[4][6]

Word family

• ottimamente
• ottimale
• ottimizzare
• ottimizzazione
• ottimismo
• ottimista
• ottimistico
• ottimate
• optimum

Related words

• buono
• migliore
• pessimo
• Latin optimus

Usage notes

It serves as a superlative of buono beside the regular buonissimo; the comparative is migliore, and the opposite is pessimo.^[14][4]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
3. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2705
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 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 d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
9. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
10. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 12, 283
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
14. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse