professione

Forms

professione f (plural professioni)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word: it is borrowed from Latin professiō (“public declaration; occupation”).^[2][3][1] Körting lists it among the words that came into the Romance languages only by the learned route, as with French profession.^[4]

The Latin noun is formed from profiteor (“to declare openly, profess”) with the suffix -tiō, on the participle professus.^[5][6][7] Gabrielli analyses the verb as prō (“before”) and fateor (“to declare”).^[8] The same participle gave Italian professo, and the verb is behind professare and professore.^[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is a Sienese statute of 1295.^[9] The oldest sense is a public declaration of a belief, a principle or an intention, one that binds the speaker to live by it;^[9][10] DELI's first date for it is Dante, before 1321.^[9][10]

Semantic evolution

Dante uses it in the Paradiso: a tal querente e a tal professione.^[11][12] In the 14th century the word took the religious sense of the solemn vows of poverty, chastity and obedience by which a novice enters an order (DELI cites the Ottimo commentary), and the TLIO records too the life lived according to those vows.^[10][9]

The sense “the work by which one earns a living” is in the Tuscan translation of Livy, in the first half of the 14th century.^[10] The TLIO's sense for the same period stresses intellectual work and the skill acquired in it.^[9] Sabatini–Coletti date the general sense of “occupation” to the 16th century.^[13] Today professione is especially a calling that needs a degree or a licence, such as medicine or law, and the libera professione is practised independently.^[2][14]

Timeline

• 1295 – The word appears in a Sienese statute.^[9]
• Before 1321 – Dante uses professione for a public declaration of faith.^[10]
• 14th century – The Ottimo commentary uses it for the religious vows.^[10]
• First half of the 14th century – The Tuscan Livy uses it for an occupation.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. A public declaration of one's beliefs, feelings or allegiance: fare professione di something, to declare it openly;^[2][7][15] professione di fede, a profession of faith.^[2][7][15]
2. (religion) The act by which a Christian enters a religious order by taking the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.^[2][7][14]
3. An occupation, manual or intellectual, done regularly to earn a living: Di che cosa si occupa? Che professione fa?^[2][7][13]
4. An intellectual occupation that requires a degree or a professional qualification, such as medicine or law: Ha aperto uno studio e ora esercita la professione di architetto.^[2][7][14]
5. (euphemistic) prostitution.^[2][14]

Word family

• professionale
• professionista
• professionismo
• professionalizzare
• professionistico

Related words

• professare
• professore
• professo
• Latin profiteor

Usage notes

Di professione means “by trade”, and ironically “habitual”: un bugiardo di professione.^[14][7] La professione più antica del mondo is prostitution.^[14] A libera professione is practised independently, without an employer.^[14][2]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
8. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
9. ^ a b c d e f Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
10. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 14, 502
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
14. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
15. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana