Etymologically
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scelta

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Pronunciation

Forms

scelta f (plural scelte)[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine of scelto (“chosen”), the past participle of scegliere (“to choose”), used as a noun.[2][3][4][5]

DELI and GRADIT derive the verb from Vulgar Latin *exēligere, formed from ex- and Latin ēligō (“to pick out, choose”).[6][3][1][7] Nocentini prefers sēligō (“to select”), from legō (“to gather”) with sē- (“apart”), and calls the prefixed form an unnecessary complication: an initial /s/ before a front vowel can give the same /ʃ/, as in scemare.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is Bono Giamboni (before 1292), with the sense “the act of choosing”.[6][5] The GDLI quotes his translation of Orosius on a man who put his relatives to death “non facendone scelta neuna” (without choosing among them).[8]

Semantic evolution

Boccaccio has a woman fall in love with a young man “a sua scelta”, of her own choosing.[9] Ariosto uses a scelta “as one prefers” (1516) and the sense “the best part, the pick” (1532), which replaced eletta in the last edition of the Orlando furioso.[6] Di prima scelta “top quality” is recorded in 1959.[6]

Modern usage adds l'imbarazzo della scelta “too many options to choose from”, scelta di vita “life choice” and the football term scelta del campo, the choice of ends at the start of a match.[3][4][10]

Timeline

  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses scelta.[6][5]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses the verb scegliere.[6]
  • 1348–1353 – Boccaccio's Decameron has a sua scelta.[3][9]
  • 1516 – Ariosto uses a scelta.[6]
  • 1532 – Ariosto uses scelta for “the best part”.[6]
  • 1959 – Di prima scelta is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A choice: the act of choosing among several possibilities: Hai fatto la scelta giusta.[3][4][11][1]
  2. An option, an alternative: non avere scelta, to have no choice, scelta obbligata, a forced choice.[3][5][10]
  3. The selection of a person for a task or post.[3][4]
  4. A range of things to choose from: In quel negozio c'è poca scelta.[3][11][5]
  5. A grade of quality: di prima scelta, top quality, di seconda scelta, second-rate.[11][5][12]
  6. A selection of works, an anthology: una scelta di racconti.[3][11][12]
  7. (philosophy) The act of will that settles on one decision among others.[3][11][12]
  • scegliere
  • scegliticcio
  • sceltezza
  • scelto
  • eleggere
  • selezione

Usage notes

A scelta means “as one prefers”, and scelta di tempo is timing, doing something at the right moment.[5][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e 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 Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 17, 914
  9. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 4, 626
  10. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  12. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli