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scempio

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word scempio

scempio1 single, not double

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1175–1200 Proverbia que dicuntur (Venetian)
Inherited from
Latin simplus
Ultimate origins
Proto-Indo-European *sem-Proto-Italic *-plos
Etymology tree of scempio1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin semel
Latin simplus
Italian scempio
Spanish simple

Pronunciation

  • /ˈʃem.pjo/[1]

Forms

scempio (feminine scempia, masculine plural scempi, feminine plural scempie)[1]

Etymology

The adjective is inherited from Latin sĭmplus (“simple, single”), a variant of simplex (“simple”), with its first sound influenced by scemo (“half-empty; foolish”).[2][3][4][5] Treccani points instead to the influence of duplus (“double”) and of Ancient Greek ἁπλοῦς (haploûs, “simple”).[6] Wiktionary notes that ⟨s-⟩ became ⟨sc-⟩ also in scimmia and sciringa, beside siringa.[1]

The Latin adjective is formed from sem- (“one”), as in semel (“once”) and semper (“always”), and a derivative of the root Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to fold”), as in doppio.[7][8] French simple and Spanish simple are learned forms.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Venetian Proverbia que dicuntur, of the last quarter of the 12th century.[9] DELI's first record of the sense “single, not double” is Dante (1313–1319), who says of a doubt Prima era scempio, e ora è fatto doppio (“at first it was single, and now it has become double”).[2][10]

Semantic evolution

The sense “foolish, senseless” is in Dante before 1321: la compagnia malvagia e scempia (“the wicked and senseless company”); in this sense the word is still alive in the Veneto.[2][6] The noun scempiaggine “foolishness” followed in the first Crusca dictionary (1612).[2] In linguistics a consonante scempia is a single consonant as opposed to a double one.[4][11]

Timeline

  • 1175–1200 – The Venetian Proverbia que dicuntur has the word.[9]
  • 1313–1319 – Dante uses it for “single, not double”.[2]
  • Before 1321 – Dante uses it for “foolish”.[2]
  • 1612 – Scempiaggine is recorded by the Crusca.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. single, not double; made of one element: una corda scempia.[3][4][5]
  2. (botany) Of a flower, single.[3][5][12]
  3. (phonetics) Of a consonant, single, not geminate: Nella parola «pala» la elle è scempia.[4][11][1]
  4. (figurative, literary or regional) Foolish, senseless; as a noun, a fool.[3][4][5][12]

Word family

  • scempiaggine
  • scempiamento
  • scempiamente

scempio2 havoc, massacre

Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
1200s late 13th century, Fatti di Cesare (Sienese)
Inherited from
Latin exemplum
Ultimate origin
Latin emō
Etymology tree of scempio2
inherited borrowed derived
Latin emō
Latin eximō
Latin exemplum
Italian scempio
French exemple
Italian esempio
Spanish ejemplo
From the same root · scempio2
Latin adimō ← emō
Latin coëmō ← emō
Latin cōmō ← emō
Latin dēmō ← emō
Latin dirimō ← emō
Latin em ← emō
Latin ēmptiō ← emō
Latin ēmptor ← emō
Latin exēmptus ← emō
Latin interimō ← emō
Latin praemium ← emō
Latin prōmō ← emō
Latin redimō ← emō
Latin sūmō ← emō
Latin eximius ← eximō
Latin exemplar ← exemplum
Latin exemplāris ← exemplum
Latin exemplārium ← exemplum

Pronunciation

  • /ˈʃem.pjo/[1]

Forms

scempio m (plural scempi)[1]

Etymology

The word for the havoc is inherited from Latin exemplum (“example; exemplary punishment”), properly a slaughter meant to serve as a warning.[2][7][3][1] Its learned doublet is esempio.[1][11] The LEI files it among the forms that lost the first vowel, with /ʃ/ from ⟨ex-⟩ and with ⟨-pl-⟩ becoming /pj/; it also has Lucchese iscienpio (1303) and Sienese scianpo.[13] The same word is Old French essample, Old Occitan eisemple and Sicilian scempru.[14][1]

The Latin noun is derived from eximō (“to take out”), from ex- and emō (“to take; to buy”), through *ex-em-lom with a ⟨p⟩ inserted.[8][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is the Sienese Fatti di Cesare of the late 13th century, for the cruel killing of one or more people, a massacre.[9][13]

Semantic evolution

Dante (about 1313) uses it for the battle of Montaperti: lo strazio e 'l grande scempio / che fece l'Arbia colorata in rosso (“the slaughter and the great massacre that dyed the Arbia red”), and later for savage treatment of a corpse.[2][10][13] Petrarch has it for emotional torment and for a wicked act that brings ruin.[13] The verb scempiare “to torture, disfigure” goes back to the 14th century.[7][15] In modern use the word often means the ruin or defacement of a landscape, a city or a work of art.[4][11]

Timeline

  • Late 13th century – The Sienese Fatti di Cesare has the word.[9]
  • 1303 – Lucchese iscienpio is recorded.[13]
  • About 1313 – Dante uses it for a massacre.[2][13]
  • Before 1374 – Petrarch uses it for emotional torment.[13]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A massacre, slaughter.[3][4][5]
  2. The brutal killing of someone; savage cruelty to a body;[3][6][5] fare scempio di, to butcher.[3][6][5]
  3. (figurative, literary) Torment, anguish.[3][5]
  4. The ruin or defacement of a landscape or a city: lo scempio delle coste.[3][4][11]
  5. Serious damage to furniture or objects.[3]
  6. (figurative) The butchering of a literary or musical work by cuts or changes.[3][4]

Word family

  • scempiare

Usage notes

GRADIT numbers the two words the other way round, with the noun as scempio 1.[3] Scempio is also a form of the verb scempiare.[16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 e f g h i j k l m De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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 h Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
  7. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  8. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  10. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  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 Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 22, 152
  14. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  15. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3382
  16. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Scempio.” Etymologically, 10 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/scempio. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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