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puntata

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word puntata

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1555 More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origins
Latin punctaItalian -ato
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Italian punta
Italian puntata
From the same root
Italian puntare ← punta

Pronunciation

  • /punˈta.ta/[1]

Forms

puntata f (plural puntate)[1] An old form is Old Italian pontata.[2]

Etymology

It is from Italian punta + -ata, “a blow with the point”, and in other senses it is from Italian puntare with the same suffix;[3][4][5][2] GDLI notes that the senses of the two bases overlap and cannot always be told apart.[3][4][5][2] Nocentini derives the senses “bet” and “raid” from the verb.[6]

The sense “instalment” has a different base in DELI, Nocentini, GRADIT and Zingarelli: it is from Italian punto, named from the stitches that held each fascicle together.[7][6][3][8] The Venetian dictionary of Boerio (1829) defines it as a booksellers' term for works issued in stitched fascicles or sheets.[7][9] DEI instead derives it from the verb, as a pause in the publication.[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

Zingarelli and GRADIT date the word to 1555, Nocentini to the mid-16th century in the sense “bet”.[11][3][6] DEI records agricultural puntata, the depth a spade goes into the soil at one stroke, in 16th-century writers on farming (Davanzati, Soderini).[10][12]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century the word meant a thrust with the point of a weapon (Allegri), and the military sense, a raid or incursion, is dated by Nocentini to the first half of the same century.[10][6][12] From the raid came the short detour or visit (fare una puntata a Ostia) and, in football, a quick attacking move.[5][3] Sport also uses it for a kick with the toe, a fencing thrust and the planting of the pole in the pole vault.[3][5]

The publishing sense is recorded in the Milanese press from 1812, and Foscolo announced a chapter “nella puntata che sta per uscire” (in the instalment about to appear).[7][2] Radio and television took it for each episode of a serial (romanzo a puntate, telefilm a puntate).[3][8] The betting sense, a stake at gambling or the sum staked, is dated to 1871 by Zingarelli and DEI.[11][10]

Timeline

  • 1555 – Zingarelli's and GRADIT's date for the word.[11][3]
  • Mid-16th century – Nocentini's date for the sense “bet”.[6]
  • First half of the 17th century – The sense “raid” is recorded.[6]
  • 1812 – The sense “instalment” appears in the Milanese press.[7]
  • 1829 – Boerio defines it as a booksellers' term.[7]
  • 1871 – The gambling sense is dated in Zingarelli and DEI.[11][10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A thrust or blow with the point of a weapon or a pointed object.[3][5][13]
  2. (sport) In football, a toe-poke, a kick with the tip of the boot; in fencing, a thrust with the sabre; in the pole vault, the planting of the pole in the box.[3][5][8]
  3. (military) A raid, a quick incursion into enemy ground; in football and other team games, a quick attacking move.[3][8][11]
  4. A short trip or detour: Al ritorno faremo una puntata al lago.[3][8][5]
  5. A bet at gambling or on a race; also the sum staked: Ha raddoppiato la puntata sul nero.[3][4][5]
  6. An instalment of a work published in parts, or an episode of a radio or television serial: romanzo a puntate (serialized novel): Mi sono perso l'ultima puntata.[3][8][11]
  7. (agriculture, uncommon) The depth a spade goes into the soil at one stroke; also called fitta.[3][4][5]
  8. (figurative, uncommon) A barb, a cutting remark.[3][5]

Word family

  • puntatina

Usage notes

GRADIT, Zingarelli and Treccani list the senses under two or three headwords according to their base;[3][11][5] puntata pilota is a pilot episode.[3][11][5] The diminutive puntatina is used mostly for a quick visit.[5] DEI lists an old puntata of the 14th century, from the Italian Crescenzi, as a measure of about three braccia.[10][12]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 14, 969
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  4. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  6. ^ a b c d e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  9. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  10. ^ a b c d e f Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3150
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  13. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
Cite this entry

“Puntata.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/puntata. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·