Etymologically
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professore

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Pronunciation

  • /pro.fesˈso.re/[1]

Forms

professore m (plural professori, feminine professoressa)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin professor (“public teacher”), the agent noun of profiteor (“to declare openly”), through its past participle professus.[2][3][4][1][5] Besides “to declare”, the Latin verb also meant to teach in public, and the noun was used for teachers of wisdom (Celsus) or of eloquence (Suetonius).[6][7][8] The same Latin word gave French professeur (14th century), Spanish profesor and Portuguese professor.[8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in a Florentine translation of the Seven Liberal Arts attributed to Seneca, perhaps before 1325.[10] GRADIT and Zingarelli date the word to before 1342.[11][12] The early sense was one who shows by his conduct that he holds a belief or principle: Domenico Cavalca calls Saint Francis a professore e maestro di povertà, a professor and master of poverty.[10][13]

Semantic evolution

In the 14th century professore also named one who teaches a science or an art, one who knows an art thoroughly (Francesco da Buti), and one who has taken religious vows.[10][8] DELI's first record of the sense “one who teaches” is the will of Lemmo di Balduccio of 1389.[2] In music it was used for orchestral players (professore d'orchestra) from the early 18th century.[8]

In 1871 the Tommaseo–Bellini dictionary observed that the title had spread from university teachers to teachers in colleges, seminaries and technical schools, and even to teachers of small schools.[2] The feminine professoressa is recorded from the end of the 19th century.[8][14] Professore ospite, a visiting professor, is a calque of German Gastprofessor.[8]

Timeline

  • Before 1325 – Professore appears in a Florentine translation of Seneca.[10]
  • Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca calls Saint Francis a professore of poverty.[11][13]
  • 1389 – The will of Lemmo di Balduccio uses the word for a teacher.[2][8]
  • 1774 – G. B. Martini uses it of musicians.[8]
  • 1897 – The feminine professoressa is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A teacher at a secondary school or a university, a professor: La professoressa di storia ci ha dato un compito.[11][6][15]
  2. (music) A teacher at a conservatory, and a member of an orchestra (professore d'orchestra).[6][15][12]
  3. A head of a hospital department, or a doctor who also teaches at a university, and more broadly an eminent specialist.[11][6][15]
  4. Anyone who teaches a subject outside school, as a professore di tango.[11][6]
  5. A very learned person, and (ironic) a pedant who lectures others.[11][12][16]
  6. (literary) One who professes a religion or belief.[11][12]

Word family

  • professoressa
  • professorale
  • professorato
  • professorino
  • professorone

Usage notes

Before a name the word is shortened to professor (il professor Bianchi), and in speech it is often clipped to prof.[6][11] The university ranks are professore ordinario (full professor), associato and a contratto.[11][6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3095
  9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  10. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 14, 506
  14. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 805
  15. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  16. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli