programma

Forms

programma m (plural programmi)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin programma (“written notice, posted edict”), from Ancient Greek πρόγραμμα (prógramma, “public notice, edict”), from προγράφω (prográphō, “to write beforehand”), formed from πρό (pró, “before”) and γράφω (gráphō, “to write”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} Nocentini glosses the Greek word “agenda”, literally “what has been written in advance”.^[3] DEI compares French programme (1630) and English programme (1633),^[5] and Nocentini Spanish programa.^[3]

In computing, the noun and its derivatives programmare and programmatore are calques on English program, to program and programmer.^[2][6][7] Programmazione is French programmation, recorded in French in 1924 for the advertising of a film.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT dates the word to before 1660, and Nocentini and Devoto–Oli to the second half of the 17th century.^[4][3][6] DELI's first records are the Italian translation of Chambers's encyclopaedia (1749), which describes it as a college term for a paper handed out before an oration or ceremony, giving its subject, and the Magazzino toscano of 1756, where it is a statement of what has to be done.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the 18th and 19th centuries a programma was above all a printed announcement of a work about to be published or of a public event: Tommaseo's examples include Cesari writing about a programma of works proposed by the king, and an Academy's programma on the Tuscan language.^[8][7] From this the word came to mean a plan of action, the platform of a party or movement, and the syllabus of a course of study.^[6][9][4]

The derivatives followed in the late 19th and 20th centuries: programmatico (1885), programmista (1913), programmare (1912) and programmazione (1931).^[3] With radio and television the word came to mean a single broadcast, and, from 1958 the set of coded instructions run by a computer.^[2][4] It also names the washing cycle of a household appliance.^[10][1] Fixed phrases include fuori programma, an item outside the planned programme and, figuratively, something unexpected, and the familiar essere tutto un programma, said of something that already reveals how things will turn out.^[10][11][12]

Timeline

• 1630 – French programme is recorded.^[5]
• 1633 – English programme is recorded.^[5]
• Before 1660 – First Italian record.^[4]
• 1749 – The Italian Chambers explains it as a college term for a handout before an oration.^[2]
• 1756 – Programma “statement of what one proposes to do” in the Magazzino toscano.^[2]
• 1885 – Programmatico is first recorded.^[3]
• 1912 – Programmare is first recorded.^[3]
• 1958 – The computing sense appears in the Dizionario enciclopedico.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A plan or statement, spoken or written, of what one intends to do, the aims and the means of reaching them: Il nuovo sindaco ha presentato il suo programma per la città.^[4][6][9]
2. A plan or intention in general: Per l'estate non abbiamo ancora fatto programmi.^[4][9][12]
3. The platform or manifesto of a party, movement or school.^[4][6][1]
4. The list of shows, events or contests planned for a period or making up a performance; the printed programme or playbill: Il programma del festival è uscito ieri.^[4][10][11]
5. A radio or television broadcast, a show: Il sabato guardo sempre quel programma di cucina.^{[4][10][11][1]}
6. The syllabus of a course or examination: Il programma d'esame comprende tre romanzi.^[4][9][10]
7. (computing) A set of coded instructions that makes a computer carry out a task; a piece of software: Ho installato un nuovo programma per ritoccare le foto.^[4][10][1]
8. The cycle of operations of a household appliance: Ho messo la lavatrice sul programma delicato.^[10][1]

Word family

• programmare
• programmatico
• programmatore
• programmazione
• programmista
• sottoprogramma
• programmino

Related words

• French programme
• English program

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 g Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3099
6. ^ a b c d e 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 Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
8. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
9. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
12. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli