Etymologically
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qualsiasi

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Pronunciation

  • /kwalˈsi.a.si/[1]

Forms

qualsiasi m or f by sense (no plural)[1]

Etymology

It is a univerbation of quale and siasi, “whichever it may be”: the present subjunctive of the verb “to be” with the particle si.[2][3][4][1] Zingarelli records the older spelling as separate words from 1442.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Francesco Bracciolini in 1611, in the sense “any, whichever”, the date GRADIT gives;[2][4][3] Nocentini dates it to the first half of the 17th century.[2][4][3]

Semantic evolution

Placed after its noun, qualsiasi came to mean “ordinary, nothing special”, often with a slighting tone.[4][6] The GDLI quotes Dino Buzzati: “Era una mattina qualsiasi di una giornata qualsiasi” (it was an ordinary morning of an ordinary day).[7] As a relative it introduces a clause with the subjunctive; the indicative there is old or popular.[4][5] It is a synonym of qualunque and qualsivoglia.[8]

Timeline

  • 1442 – The spelling qual siasi is first recorded.[5]
  • 1611 – Francesco Bracciolini uses qualsiasi.[2][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. any, whichever, every: Puoi chiamarmi a qualsiasi ora.[4][6][8]
  2. After the noun: ordinary, common, like many others: Non è un vino qualsiasi.[4][6][9]
  3. (relative) whatever, with the subjunctive: Qualsiasi strada tu prenda, arriverai in piazza.[4][8][9]

Pronoun

  1. Any one, in answers: «Quale preferisci?» «Qualsiasi.»[4]

Usage notes

The old plural qualsiansi is rare and now disused.[8][9][7] Before a noun it is invariable and singular; after the noun it can stand with a plural (libri qualsiasi).[8][5]

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. ^ 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 j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 15
  8. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  9. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana