Etymologically
Log in

processo

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 21:11. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /proˈt͡ʃɛs.so/[1]

Forms

processo m (plural processi)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin processus (“advance, progress, course”), a noun formed from the past participle of prōcēdō (“to go forward, advance”).[2][3][4][1] In Medieval Latin the word took the legal sense “court proceedings”: the jurists of the Middle Ages gave new meanings to general words, and Migliorini dates this use of the word to about the 13th century.[2][3] The same Latin noun gave French procès and Spanish proceso.[3][5]

The Latin verb is a compound of prō- (“forward”) and cēdō (“to go, withdraw”).[1][6] De Vaan derives the simple verb from Proto-Italic *kesd-e/o- (“to go away”) and connects it, after Lubotsky, with Sanskrit and Avestan words for “to drive away”, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱiesdʰ-.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Brunetto Latini, before 1294, with the sense “the act of going forward; a sequence of linked events”.[2][4] DEI notes that Dante used the word.[7]

Semantic evolution

The legal sense, “the proceedings by which a court reaches a judgement”, is recorded in Giovanni Villani's chronicle before 1348, and the sense “method followed to obtain a result or substance” in Alessandro Piccolomini in 1569.[2] DEI dates the anatomical sense “process, outgrowth of a bone” to 1599, and the medical use (processo morboso, infettivo) became frequent in the 19th century.[7][2] The derivatives processare “to put on trial” (before 1566, Annibal Caro) and processuale (1798) belong to the legal sense.[2]

Processo verbale, a written record of a meeting, is French procès-verbal;[2][7] DEI dates it in Italian to 1877.[2][7] Modern Italian also uses processo a for a critical examination of something, as in a processo alle intenzioni, judging someone by intentions they are only supposed to have.[8][4]

Timeline

  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses processo for an advance or a series of events.[2][4]
  • Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it for court proceedings.[2]
  • Before 1566 – Processare “to try” is recorded in Annibal Caro.[2]
  • 1569 – Alessandro Piccolomini uses it for a method or procedure.[2]
  • 1599 – Ferrante Imperato uses it for an anatomical process.[7]
  • 1798 – Processuale appears in the acts of the Cisalpine Republic.[2]
  • 1877 – Processo verbale is recorded, after French procès-verbal.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (law) A trial, the proceedings by which a court settles a case: Il processo per frode si aprirà a marzo.[4][8][1]
  2. A process, a series of linked events that bring a gradual change: il lento processo di invecchiamento della popolazione.[4][9][10]
  3. A method or series of operations for reaching a result, especially in industry: un nuovo processo di produzione dell'acciaio.[4][9][1]
  4. (medicine) The course of a disease: processo infiammatorio.[9][10]
  5. (anatomy, botany) An outgrowth of a bone or organ, a process.[1][7]
  6. (figurative) A critical examination, a putting on trial of something: fare il processo alla politica economica del governo.[8][4]
  7. (literary) The course or passing of time, in processo di tempo, “in the course of time”.[4][10]

Word family

  • processare
  • processuale
  • processabile
  • processore
  • controprocesso
  • processista

Usage notes

DEI and GDLI also record an obsolete participle and adjective processo, “proceeded, caused by something”, from the same Latin participle.[7][11]

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 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 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. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3089
  8. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  9. ^ a b c 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 Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca