Etymologically
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sera

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Pronunciation

Forms

sera f (plural sere)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Late Latin sēra, short for the classical phrase ⟨sera dies⟩ “late day”, the feminine of the adjective Latin sērus (“late”), used as a noun.[2][3][4][5] DEI notes that the Late Latin noun is found in the Peregrinatio, and that it took the place of vesper (“evening”) when that word became part of the language of the Church.[6] The same noun is Sardinian sera, Romansh saira, Friulian sere, Dalmatian saira and Romanian seară, while French soir, Occitan ser and Logudorese sero continue the Latin adverb sērō (“late”).[3][7][6]

The origin of the Latin adjective is uncertain.[2][8] Nocentini compares Old Irish sír (“long”) and Sanskrit सायम् (sāyám, “evening”), and observes that the meaning “evening” is never the original one but comes from “day that goes on late”, as with Spanish tarde and Portuguese tarde “afternoon, evening”.[3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in the Novellino, at the end of the 13th century, in the sense “the late part of the day, from sunset to the beginning of night”.[2] Dante has it in the Purgatorio: “Lo sol sen va, soggiunse, e vien la sera” (the sun is going, he added, and evening is coming).[8]

Semantic evolution

In Boccaccio and Ariosto sera can also mean the night.[6] The figurative sense “old age, the end of life” is literary;[4][9] Petrarch speaks of finishing his day “inanzi sera”, before evening.[4][9] The derivative serata is recorded before 1571 in Benvenuto Cellini, and in the sense “evening party, reception” from 1832, after French soirée;[2][3] serale was called “a word in use” in 1805, and stasera “this evening”, from questa sera, dates from the 14th century.[2][3]

In much of the south, in Liguria and in Monferrato, sera is also an adverb meaning “yesterday evening”, shortened from ieri sera.[6][7] The greeting buona sera is used in some regions from early afternoon.[9][5] The weather proverb rosso di sera, bel tempo si spera promises fine weather after a red sunset.[9][5]

Timeline

  • Late 13th century – The Novellino has sera “evening”.[2]
  • 14th century – Stasera “this evening” is recorded.[3]
  • Before 1571 – Benvenuto Cellini uses serata.[2]
  • 1805 – Serale “of the evening” is recorded.[2]
  • 1832 – Serata “evening party” appears in the Milanese press, after French soirée.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. evening, the part of the day between sunset and nightfall: Verso sera il vento si calmò.[4][10][9]
  2. (by extension) The time from dinner until about midnight: Il sabato sera andiamo a ballare.[4][10][9]
  3. (by extension) The late afternoon: le sei della sera.[4][9]
  4. (figurative, literary) The last part of life, old age; the end of something.[4][9][10]

Word family

Usage notes

Set phrases include di sera “in the evening”, da mattina a sera “all day long”, abito da sera “evening dress” and sul far della sera “at nightfall”.[4][9][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  6. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3458
  7. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 18, 707
  9. ^ 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
  10. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse