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presidente

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word presidente

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1341–1342, Boccaccio
Borrowed from
Latin praesidens
Ultimate origin
Latin sedeō

Pronunciation

  • /pre.siˈdɛn.te/[1]

Forms

presidente m or f by sense (plural presidenti, feminine presidentessa)[1] Old forms include Old Italian presedente and Old Italian pressidente.[2]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin praesidēns (“presiding; governor”), the present participle of praesideō (“to sit in front; to protect, govern”).[3][4][5][1] The verb is formed from prae- (“before”) and sedeō (“to sit”), with the regular change of /e/ to /i/ in an open inner syllable.[6][4] Tacitus already uses the participle as a noun for a governor.[7]

The word spread through the European languages: French président is recorded from 1296, and Spanish presidente has the same form.[7][4] “Presidente del consiglio” is a calque of the English “president of the Council” (1530–1531), and the adjective presidenziale is French présidentiel (1791).[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Boccaccio's Ameto (1341–1342), for one who presides over a gathering: “a tanta corte presidente”.[3][2][8] In Old Italian the word also meant a governor of a territory, a governor of a Roman province, and a tutelary god.[2]

Semantic evolution

As a present participle the word could still mean “presiding over” in Boccaccio, who wrote of the devils set over the circles of Hell.[5] The feminine presidentessa appears in Magalotti (1705) for a woman president and in Boerio (1829) for a president's wife.[3] Presidenza “presidency” is recorded from Magalotti (1674), and vicepresidente from 1771.[3][4]

The political sense “head of the executive”, after the President of the United States, is recorded from 1839.[7] In the Papal States the presidente was the governor of Romagna or the Marche.[5] Repubblica presidenziale, a state whose head is also head of government, dates from Luigi Einaudi (1955).[3] In modern Italy the word names the President of the Republic, the presiding judges of courts and the chairs of companies and associations.[5][9]

Timeline

  • 1296 – French président is recorded.[7]
  • 1341–1342 – Boccaccio uses presidente in the Ameto.[3][2]
  • 1674 – Magalotti uses presidenza.[3]
  • 1705 – Presidentessa appears in Magalotti.[3]
  • 1771 – Vicepresidente is recorded.[4]
  • 1839 – The word is used for the head of the executive, as in the United States.[7]
  • 1955 – Luigi Einaudi uses repubblica presidenziale.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A president or chair: the person who directs and coordinates a body, company or association: il presidente del circolo velico.[5][9][10][1]
  2. (often capitalized) The President of the Republic, the head of state.[5][9][11]
  3. presidente del Consiglio (dei ministri): the prime minister of Italy.[9][12][11]
  4. The presiding judge of a court: presidente del tribunale.[5][9]
  5. (historical) The governor of a province or subject state.[5][2]

Word family

  • presidenza
  • presidenziale
  • vicepresidente
  • presidentessa
  • copresidente
  • presidentabile

Usage notes

The masculine is often used of a woman, la presidente; the feminine presidentessa is less common.[9][10][1] In bureaucratic writing the word is sometimes treated as a participle and takes a direct object without a preposition.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3069
  8. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 3, 1208
  9. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  10. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  11. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  12. ^ 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

“Presidente.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/presidente. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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