probabile

Forms

probabile m or f by sense (plural probabili)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word: it is borrowed from Latin probābilis (“worthy of approval; credible, plausible”).^[2][3][4][1] The Latin adjective is formed from probō (“to test, prove; to approve”) with the suffix -bilis.^[5][1][3] The same Latin word gave French probable, recorded from the 13th or 14th century, and Spanish probable.^[3][6]

DELI quotes Maierù's study of late scholastic logic: the original sphere of probātiō (“proof”) was the law, while the adjective translated Ancient Greek ἔνδοξον (éndoxon, “generally accepted opinion”) and belonged to dialectical and rhetorical argument.^[2] For Boethius the probable was what seems true to everyone, to most people or to the wise, and the medieval textbooks of disputation took over these senses.^[2]

For the derivatives, Nocentini takes probabilità from Latin probābilitās, while DELI sees it and probabilismo as French probabilité (1370) and French probabilisme (1697).^[3][2] The verb provare continues the same Latin verb by inheritance.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's earliest record is in Giamboni, before 1292, with the sense “credible, likely, supported by fairly sure arguments”.^[2][4] The sense closer to the Latin, “that can be approved”, is recorded later, in Cavalca before 1342.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century the word also meant “having the appearance of truth”, and in the 17th century, in Segneri, “credible”.^[6] The old sense “worthy of approval, praiseworthy”, also of moral conduct, survives only in literary use.^[4][7] Tommaseo defines it as “that can be proved or approved” and quotes Caro's translation of Aristotle's Rhetoric, where arguments are built from things that are not probable in themselves.^[8]

From the 18th century the word entered theology and philosophy: Concina wrote in 1743 on the history of probabilismo, the doctrine that there are no certain propositions, only more or less probable opinions.^[2] In moral theology an opinione probabile is one grounded well enough to win the assent of a prudent person.^[9][10][7] The noun probabilità is recorded before 1540 in Guicciardini, and in the sense of the measure of how likely an event is before 1758, in Cocchi.^[2] In mathematics probabile now also describes an event as foreseen by the theory of probability.^[11]

Timeline

• Before 1292 – Giamboni uses probabile for what is credible on fairly sure grounds.^[2]
• Before 1342 – Cavalca uses it for what can be approved.^[2]
• First half of the 14th century – the adverb probabilmente appears in the vernacular translation of Guido delle Colonne.^[2]
• Before 1540 – Probabilità is recorded in Guicciardini.^[2]
• 1743 – Concina's history of probabilism records probabilismo and probabilistico.^[2]
• Before 1758 – Cocchi uses probabilità for the measure of how likely an event is.^[2]
• End of the 16th century – the negative improbabile is recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Of an event or fact: likely, expected to happen or believed to have happened, though not certain: un probabile rinvio della partita.^[4][9][11]
2. In impersonal sentences, è probabile che with the subjunctive, and alone as a reply (“likely”): è probabile che domani nevichi;^[4][9][7] Verrà anche lui? – Probabile.^[4][9][7]
3. Of an opinion, hypothesis or interpretation: plausible, credible, resting on sound but not conclusive arguments: una spiegazione poco probabile.^[4][9][12]
4. (logic) Of an argument: drawn from premises that are not proved, as opposed to apodictic reasoning.^[9][7]
5. (mathematics) Of an event: predicted by the theory of probability.^[11]
6. (theology) Opinione probabile: in probabilism, an opinion founded on reasons that deserve the assent of a prudent person.^[9][10][7]
7. (literary, archaic) Worthy of approval, praiseworthy, also morally.^[4][9][7]
8. (archaic) That can be proved.^[11]

Word family

• probabilismo
• probabilistico
• probabilità
• probabilmente
• probabilista
• improbabile

Related words

• provare
• prova
• Latin probābilis
• French probable

Usage notes

Probabile expresses more confidence than possibile, so the two are not synonyms: a snowfall in Rome in April is possible but not probable.^[7] The opposite is improbabile.^[10][12]

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 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 e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ 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
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3086
7. ^ a b c d e f g h Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
9. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
12. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli