Etymologically
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pensione

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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