Etymologically
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senatore

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 20:28. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /se.naˈto.re/[1]

Forms

senatore m (plural senatori, feminine senatrice)[1] Old Italian forms include sanatore, senadore and senaturi.[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin senātor (“member of the senate”), a learned word.[3][4][5][1][6] The Latin noun is formed on senātus (“senate”) with the agent suffix -tor.[7][1] The senate was originally the assembly of elders: the Latin word comes from senex (“old man”).[3][4] De Vaan traces that word to Proto-Italic *seno- and Proto-Indo-European *sen- (“old”), and notes that Oscan borrowed the Latin word for the senate.[8]

The same learned word is French sénateur and Spanish senador.[4] The adjective senatoriale comes from French sénatorial (1518).[3][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Roman Miracole de Roma, from the middle of the 13th century.[2] DELI's first record is Brunetto Latini, before 1294, who gives the example of a senator asking whether an army should be sent into Macedonia.[3][9]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the word for the members of the ancient Roman senate and of the councils of medieval cities; in medieval Rome the senator was the supreme city magistrate, like a podestà.[2][10] Giovanni Villani tells how Romulus chose a hundred of the oldest and best men as counsellors, calling them conscript fathers and sanatori.[9][11]

With the senate of the Statuto albertino in 1848, the word came to name a member of the upper house of the Italian parliament.[3] Jocular senses followed: an elderly, respected person, and in sport a veteran player;[3][5][12] Zingarelli in 1973 recorded an athlete grown rich and famous who no longer has the will to win.[3][5][12]

Timeline

  • Mid-13th century – Senatore appears in the Miracole de Roma.[2]
  • Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for a Roman senator.[3]
  • Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani writes sanatori.[9]
  • 1518 – French sénatorial is recorded.[3]
  • 1848 – The Statuto albertino creates the senate of the Kingdom of Sardinia.[3]
  • 1973 – Zingarelli records the sporting sense.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A senator, a member of the senate of ancient Rome or of another state of the classical, medieval or modern age.[5][13][14]
  2. A member of the senate of a modern state with two chambers: È stato eletto senatore nella sua regione.[5][13][10]
  3. (history) In the Middle Ages, a title of high city offices.[13][10][12]
  4. (jocular) An elderly person with authority; in sport, a veteran member of a team.[5][10][12]

Word family

  • senatoriale
  • senatorio
  • senatrice
  • senatoressa

Usage notes

A senatore a vita is a life senator, appointed by the President of the Republic or a former president by right.[13][10][15] The feminine is senatrice.[1][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  6. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3452
  7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  9. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 18, 618
  10. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  12. ^ a b c d Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  13. ^ 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
  14. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  15. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli