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salone

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word salone

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation, Semantic loan
First attested
1550 C. Bartoli More words from the 16th century
Ultimate origins
Frankish *salaProto-Indo-European *-ō

Pronunciation

Forms

salone m (plural saloni)[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian sala (“hall, large room”) + -one, an augmentative.[2][3][4][1][5] The base noun is Germanic: Nocentini and Wiktionary derive it from Lombardic *sala, and DELI, following Sabatini, holds that the Lombards brought the sense “country house” (kept in place names) and the Franks the sense “large room”.[3][1][2] The same derivative is Spanish salón and Portuguese salão.[6]

French borrowed the Italian word, recorded from 1650, and gave it the senses “periodic exhibition” (1737) and “premises where clients are received” (1798).[7][2] These senses came back to Italian in the 19th century: they are borrowed from French salon (“exhibition; shop”).[2][3][8][5] DELI and Nocentini list them under a second headword.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in C. Bartoli in 1550, for a large hall.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The Paris exhibition took its name, Salon, from the great salon of the Louvre where it was first held.[9][2] The Italian exhibition sense is first recorded in 1825 in the Milanese press, for a collection of pictures shown in the Salone di Santa Radegonda.[2] In 1877 Fanfani and Arlìa objected that for Italians a salone was a great hall where justice was done or a council met, as in the salone de' Cinquecento, while the French salon was a room for conversation, dancing or showing pictures, for which Italian had salotto.[2] The same year gives the first record of the sense “barber's or hairdresser's shop”.[2]

Today the word also names the large living room of a flat, especially in estate agents' language, and in apposition a luxury railway carriage (vettura salone).[4][5] English used salone from 1814 for a hall in Italy.[7]

Timeline

  • 1550 – C. Bartoli uses salone for a large hall.[2][4]
  • 1650 – French salon is recorded.[7]
  • 1737 – French salon takes the sense “periodic exhibition”.[7][2]
  • 1798 – French salon is used for premises receiving clients.[7][2]
  • 1814 – English salone is recorded for a hall in Italy.[7]
  • 1825 – The Milanese press uses salone for an exhibition.[2]
  • 1877 – Fanfani and Arlìa record the sense “barber's shop”.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A large reception hall in a palace, mansion or public building: un salone con il soffitto dipinto.[4][5][1]
  2. A large living room in a modern flat.[4][5][1]
  3. A periodic trade show or exhibition; the building or hall where it is held: Al salone della nautica c’era molta gente.[4][5][1]
  4. A barber's or hairdresser's shop (regional in central and southern Italy); salone di bellezza is a beauty salon.[4][5][1]
  5. (rail, in apposition) A luxury railway carriage: carrozza salone, vettura salone.[4][5]
  6. A saloon on a ship.[1]

Usage notes

The GDLI records an obsolete salone “large lump of rock salt”, an augmentative of sale.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  6. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  7. ^ a b c d e f Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  8. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
  9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  10. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 17, 423

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Salone.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/salone. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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