pasqua

Forms

pasqua f (plural pasque)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin pascha (“Passover, Easter”), the word of Christian Latin, with the vowel of pascua (“pastures”), the plural of pascuum (“pasture”).^[2][3][4][1] The Romance forms all point to a Latin ⟨pascua⟩, so the association with the pastures goes back to Latin.^[5][6] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek πάσχα (páskha), the word of the Septuagint, from Aramaic פַּסְחָא (pasḥā), which corresponds to Biblical Hebrew פֶּסַח (pésaḥ, “passage”).^[3][6][1] The name was explained as “passage” because the Jewish feast commemorated the exodus from Egypt.^[2][4] Biblical tradition links it with the Hebrew verb for “to pass over”, for the Lord passing over the houses of the Israelites when the firstborn of Egypt were killed.^[7]

The word is pan-Romance: French pâque, Occitan pasca, Catalan pasqua, Spanish pascua, Sardinian pasca and Romanian paște.^[3][5] Christian Latin passed it on to Insular Celtic and to Germanic.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI cites the form pasca from a charter of Arborea of 1114.^[2] In Italian the word appears first in a Pistoia account book of 1240–1246, in pasqua rosada, “Pentecost”, and GRADIT dates the sense “any Christian feast” to before 1246.^[2][4] Pasqua di Natale “Christmas” is recorded in 1281.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Because pasqua became a word for any feast, Italian named other feasts with it: pasqua rosata or pasqua delle rose for Pentecost, pasqua di ceppo for Christmas, pasqua epifania for Epiphany and pasqua dei morti for All Souls.^[6][5][4] To make clear that Easter was meant, speakers said pasqua di risurrezione (14th century, Villani), pasqua dell'agnello or pasqua d'uovo (16th century).^[6][8] Medieval Latin pasquare “to keep Easter” is recorded at Imola in 1197.^[6]

The Jewish Passover is called pasqua from before 1342 (Cavalca), and Giordano da Pisa has the bare word for Easter in 1305–1306.^[2] The popular sense “feast, occasion of joy” survives only in contento come una pasqua, “as happy as can be”.^[9] Pasquetta meant Epiphany in several regions and now means Easter Monday (1911).^[2][8]

Timeline

• 1197 – Medieval Latin pasquare “to keep Easter” is recorded at Imola.^[6]
• 1240–1246 – Pasqua rosada “Pentecost” appears in a Pistoia account book.^[2]
• 1281 – Pasqua di Natale “Christmas” is recorded.^[2]
• Before 1292 – Giamboni writes pasqua di Risurressio.^[2]
• 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses pasqua alone for Easter.^[2]
• Before 1342 – Cavalca uses it for the Jewish Passover.^[2]
• 14th century – The adjective pasquale is recorded.^[2][3]
• 1911 – Pasquetta “Easter Monday” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Judaism) Passover, the feast commemorating the liberation from slavery in Egypt; also called pesach.^{[4][10][9][1]}
2. (Christianity, usually capitalised) Easter, the movable feast of the resurrection of Christ, on the first Sunday after the spring full moon: buona Pasqua!^{[4][10][9][1]}
3. The Easter period or holidays: andiamo al mare per Pasqua.^[4][9]
4. (popular) Any important Christian feast: pasqua rosata “Pentecost”, pasqua epifania “Epiphany”, pasqua fiorita “Palm Sunday”.^[4][11][9]
5. (popular, dated) A feast, an occasion of joy, now only in contento come una pasqua.^[9][4]

Word family

• pasquale
• pasquetta
• pasquare
• pasquata
• pasqueggiare
• pasquereccio

Related words

• Latin pascha
• French pâque

Usage notes

The Christian feast is usually written with a capital, Pasqua.^[4][9][1] Pasqua alta is an Easter that falls late, Pasqua bassa one that falls early.^[4][10] Fare Pasqua or prendere la Pasqua is to receive communion in the Easter season.^[10][12] Pasqua is also a surname and a woman's name.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b c d e f g Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2789
7. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 747
9. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
11. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli