rene

Forms

rene m (plural reni)^[1]

Etymology

It is learned: it is borrowed from Latin rēnēs (“kidneys; loins”), a Latin word used mostly in the plural.^[2][3][4][1] The plural reni “loins, small of the back” is the inherited word, and the singular for the organ was imposed by the language of medicine.^[2]

Its Romance relatives include French rein, Romansh rain and Portuguese rim, which mainly mean “loins, back” in the plural.^[3][5]

The origin of the Latin word is unclear.^[3][1] Cortelazzo and Zolli follow Mastrelli, who derives it from a root Proto-Indo-European *srēn- (“loin, flank”) and compares Lithuanian strėnos.^[2][6][4] De Vaan also considers Proto-Indo-European *h₂r-ēn (“kidney”), comparing Old Irish áru (“kidney”) and Welsh arenn (“kidney”).^[6] Devoto points out its parallel formation with liēn (“spleen”).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first records are of the plural, le rene, for the back: a Pisan account book of 1279 has it, and Bono Giamboni, before 1292, writes diedero le reni e cominciaro a fuggire (they turned their backs and began to flee).^[2] The sense “kidney” is first recorded in Francesco Redi, before 1698.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Through the 14th century the feminine plural le rene meant the back or loins, as it always does in Dante, in veterinary texts and in Passavanti.^[2] The old plural forms were le rene, le reni and le renne, and dialects had regni.^[8] Bruno Migliorini observed that the Latinizing il rene won out in medicine and then in common speech, pushing arnione and rognone back to veterinary and kitchen use, while the inherited le reni kept its own sense.^[2] The adjective renale is recorded before 1460, reniforme before 1799, and the rene artificiale, the dialysis machine, in 1959.^[2]

Timeline

• 1278 – First record of the word, according to Gradit.^[9]
• 1279 – Le rene “the back” appears in a Pisan record.^[2]
• Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses le reni for the back.^[2]
• 1300–1313 – Dante uses le reni.^[2]
• Before 1460 – The adjective renale is recorded.^[2]
• Before 1698 – Francesco Redi uses rene for the kidney.^[2]
• 1959 – Rene artificiale is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (anatomy) kidney: either of the two bean-shaped organs at the back of the abdomen that filter the blood and produce urine: Gli hanno trapiantato un rene.^{[9][10][11][1]}
2. rene artificiale: a dialysis machine.^[10][2]
3. (in the plural reni) The lower back, the loins.^[2][12]

Word family

• renale
• surrenale
• surrene
• reniforme
• direnare
• sderenare
• renella

Related words

• reni
• rognone
• arnione
• French rein

Usage notes

The plural reni in the sense “small of the back” is usually pronounced with a closed /e/, the organ with an open /ɛ/.^[10][12][2] Avere le reni rotte is “to be worn out”.^[2] A separate old word rene, “thorn bush, bramble”, comes from vepre.^[13]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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 Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 15, 811
9. ^ a b De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
10. ^ 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
11. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
12. ^ a b Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
13. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 15, 823