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particella

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word particella

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1305–1306 Giordano, Lenten sermons More words from the 14th century
Inherited from
Latin *particella
Ultimate origin
Latin pars

Pronunciation

  • /par.tiˈt͡ʃɛl.la/[1]

Forms

particella f (plural particelle)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *particella, a diminutive of particula (“small part”), itself a diminutive of pars (“part”).[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary takes the Latin form as attested, in the Albertini Tablets, while GRADIT gives it as Medieval Latin.[1][6] It is a doublet of particola and parcella.[1][7]

The same diminutive gave French parcelle, Occitan parcela and Spanish partecilla.[8][9] DEI treats the grammatical sense, from the 16th century, as a learned rendering of the Latin diminutive in Gellius, as in French particule and English particle.[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Giordano's Lenten sermons of 1305–1306, with the sense “small part”.[11][6] Early religious texts speak of a particella of the bread or of the host.[12]

Semantic evolution

Gian Giorgio Trissino used the word in 1529 for a small part of speech, and in 1644 Mambelli's Trattato delle particelle covered every word that was not a noun, adjective or verb.[11][5] The modern grammatical sense is narrower: a short invariable word, usually monosyllabic and unstressed, such as the pronominal mi, ti, ci or the adverbial ci, vi, ne.[5][7]

In the 17th century Redi used particella in medicine for the smallest parts of bodily fluids, and Orazio Rucellai, before 1673, wrote of the particles of water, air and fire.[10][11] Tommaseo (1871) defined the physicists' particle as the smallest portion of a body that keeps its properties, a synonym of molecola.[11][13] In modern physics the word names the elementary particles; in law it is a parcel of land in the land register.[6][5] German borrowed it as Particell, a composer's short score.[14]

Timeline

  • 1305–1306 – Giordano uses particella for a small part.[11]
  • 1529 – Gian Giorgio Trissino uses it for a part of speech.[11]
  • 1644 – Mambelli publishes his Trattato delle particelle.[5]
  • Before 1673 – Orazio Rucellai writes of the particles of water, air and fire.[11]
  • 1871 – Tommaseo defines the physicists' sense.[11]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A very small part or fragment: una particella di polvere.[6][4]
  2. (grammar) A particle: an invariable word, usually monosyllabic and unstressed, with an accessory or linking function, such as the pronominal ci or the adverbial ne.[6][5]
  3. (physics) An elementary particle.[6][7]
  4. (law) A parcel of land or property in the land register, belonging to one owner;[6][5] particella catastale.[6][5]
  5. (forestry) A section of woodland cut periodically in a regular rotation.[6][5]
  6. (music) A composer's sketch of a score.[3][14]

Word family

  • antiparticella
  • particellare

Usage notes

In the sense “small part” the word is the diminutive of parte.[7][13] Particella nobiliare is the di or de of a noble surname.[6][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  10. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2785
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 12, 668
  13. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  14. ^ a b Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it

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

“Particella.” Etymologically, 10 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/particella. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·