Etymologically
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ragazzino

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 21:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ra.ɡatˈt͡si.no/[1]

Forms

ragazzino m (plural ragazzini, feminine ragazzina)[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian ragazzo + -ino, the diminutive of “ragazzo” “boy”.[1][2][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Tommaseo's dictionary quotes the word in old texts in the sense of the Latin puer: a servant or attendant of any age, a page, as in a chronicle in which a plot is uncovered through uno ragazzino; by his day this was no longer common.[4] The GDLI's quotations for “young boy” run from the poet Casti, Foscolo and Giuliani to Piovene and Pasolini, who writes the Roman vocative A regazzì.[3]

In negative sentences the word stresses maturity: non sono un ragazzino “I am no child”.[3] It can also be dismissive, for an inexperienced young man, and in colloquial use means a girl's young boyfriend.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A little boy, a kid; also a young teenage boy: Due ragazzini giocavano a pallone in cortile.[5][1][3]
  2. (derogatory) An inexperienced young man: In ufficio lo trattano da ragazzino.[5][3]
  3. A teenage boy who is going out with a girl of his age; a young boyfriend.[5]
  4. A child, a son in infancy or boyhood.[3]

Word family

  • ragazzinata
  • ragazzinesco

Usage notes

The feminine is ragazzina.[1][4] Regional forms are regazzino, and in Rome the vocative regazzì.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 15, 312
  4. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET