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pensione

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word pensione

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
before 1519, Leonardo da Vinci
Borrowed from
Latin pensio
Ultimate origin
Latin pendō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin pensio
Italian pensione

Pronunciation

  • /penˈsjo.ne/[1]

Forms

pensione f (plural pensioni)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin pēnsiō (“weighing; payment; rent”).[2][3][4][1] The Latin noun is formed from pendō (“to weigh, pay”);[2][5][6] the sense “payment” comes from the old weighing out of money, and payment on a fixed day led to “rent”.[7][8] The inherited outcome of the same Latin word is pigione (“rent”), a doublet.[2][3][1] Related forms are French pension and Spanish pensión.[3][9]

The sense “board and lodging for a fixed price” is a calque of French pension, recorded in 1535 for a person's keep; the traditional Italian word for it was dozzina.[2][10] Some derivatives are modelled on French as well, on pensionner and pensionnat.[2] For the origin of Latin pendō, de Vaan weighs Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to spin”) against a root meaning “to fall”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Leonardo da Vinci, who died in 1519: in his will he leaves Francesco Melzi “the rest of his pension and sum of money”, a periodic payment.[2][11][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century a pensione was any periodic sum: a stipend paid to officials, courtiers and soldiers, a subsidy to an ally, a charge laid on church benefices, or a tribute.[11][12][4] Berni and Ariosto use it of the pensions charged on church livings, and Galileo of a pension he thought of giving up.[12] The modern sense, an allowance paid after the end of a working life or for invalidity, grew out of these.[2][4]

The hotel senses arrived in the 19th century through French: the price of board and lodging and the service itself are recorded in the Milanese press in 1818, and a boarding house in 1836.[2][13] DELI quotes Paolo Zolli on the derivatives: at the beginning of the 19th century pensionario, pensionista and pensionato all meant “person drawing a pension”, and only pensionato survived.[2] English uses pensione for a boarding house in Italy, from 1929.[13]

Timeline

  • Before 1519 – Leonardo da Vinci uses pensione for a periodic payment.[2]
  • 1608–1619 – Pensionato “one who receives a pension” is recorded in Paolo Sarpi.[2]
  • 1797 – Pensionare “to retire someone” is recorded.[2]
  • 1818 – The Milanese press uses pensione for board and lodging.[2]
  • 1836 – It is used for a boarding house.[2][13]
  • 1929 – English pensione is first recorded.[13]
  • 1963 – Pensionistico is recorded.[2]
  • 1981 – Prepensionamento, early retirement, is recorded.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A pension, a sum paid regularly by the state or another body after retirement, for invalidity or to surviving relatives: Mia nonna vive con la pensione minima.[4][7][10]
  2. retirement, the condition of a person drawing a pension: andare in pensione, essere in pensione.[4][10][14]
  3. Board and lodging for an agreed price, and the sum paid for it: mezza pensione, pensione completa.[4][14][8]
  4. A boarding house or small family-run hotel: Abbiamo dormito in una pensione vicino al porto.[4][10]
  5. (historical) A salary paid to officials; a charge on church benefices; a tribute.[4][10]

Word family

  • pensionato
  • pensionare
  • pensionante
  • pensionamento
  • pensionabile
  • pensionistico
  • pensionista
  • prepensionamento
  • prepensionare
  • pigione
  • dozzina
  • pesare
  • Latin pēnsiō
  • French pension

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  10. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  11. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  12. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  13. ^ a b c d Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  14. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli

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

“Pensione.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/pensione. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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