sicurezza

Forms

sicurezza f (plural sicurezze)^[1] Old forms include Old Italian segureza, Old Italian securezza and Old Italian sicureza.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is a derivative from Italian sicuro + -ezza, formed in Italian.^[4][5][6][1] The adjective continues Latin sēcūrus (“free from care, safe”), a compound of sē(d) (“without”) and cūra (“care, anxiety”), so properly “without worry”.^[7][3] Latin had its own noun for the quality, sēcūritās, which gave the older Italian sicurtà, recorded from 1253.^[7][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nocentini dates the word to the second half of the 13th century in the form segureza, and GRADIT to before 1315.^[3][4] Devoto–Oli gives the 14th century for the same old variant.^[6] DELI's first dated sense, “the condition of being safe”, is from Pietro Bembo, before 1547, and Sabatini–Coletti dates the word to the 16th century.^[7][5]

Semantic evolution

The sense “self-assurance, the quality of one who is sure of himself” is recorded before 1565, in Benedetto Varchi, and “certainty” in 1715, in Anton Maria Salvini.^[7] Tommaseo still treated sicurezza as a near synonym of sicurtà in the sense of freedom from danger, and noted its use for a gun barrel thick enough to keep its user safe.^[8]

From the 19th century the word entered many technical phrases: per maggior sicurezza “to be on the safe side” is recorded in 1826, valvola di sicurezza “safety valve” in 1830 (figuratively, an outlet for tension, in 1905), cassette di sicurezza “safe-deposit boxes” in 1912, uscita di sicurezza “emergency exit” in 1940 and vetro di sicurezza “safety glass” in 1949.^[7] Pubblica Sicurezza was the old name of the Italian state police, and sicurezza sociale is a calque of English social security.^[6]

Timeline

• 1253 – The older noun sicurtà is recorded.^[7][3]
• Second half of the 13th century – Segureza is recorded.^[3]
• Before 1547 – Pietro Bembo uses sicurezza for “safety”.^[7]
• Before 1565 – Benedetto Varchi uses it for “self-assurance”.^[7]
• 1715 – Anton Maria Salvini uses it for “certainty”.^[7]
• 1830 – Valvola di sicurezza “safety valve” appears in the Milanese press.^[7]
• 1912 – Cassette di sicurezza are advertised in Il Gazzettino.^[7]
• 1940 – Uscita di sicurezza “emergency exit” is recorded.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. safety, security, the condition of being protected from danger: La sicurezza dei passeggeri viene prima di tutto.^[4][9][10]
2. The means and bodies that protect people from risks, security: Hanno rafforzato la sicurezza all’ingresso dello stadio.^[10][6]
3. Something or someone one can rely on: Mia sorella è sempre stata una sicurezza per me.^[4]
4. Self-confidence, assurance, sureness of touch: Guida con grande sicurezza anche sulla neve.^[4][5]
5. certainty, firm conviction: Non ho la sicurezza che arrivi in tempo.^[4][5]
6. In phrases, “safety, security” as a qualifier: cintura di sicurezza (seat belt), uscita di sicurezza (emergency exit), cassetta di sicurezza (safe-deposit box).^[10][9][11]

Word family

• insicurezza

Related words

• assicurare
• sicuro
• sicurtà
• cura
• Latin securitas

Usage notes

Pubblica Sicurezza (abbreviated PS) survives in agente di Pubblica Sicurezza, a police officer.^[6][1] Consiglio di Sicurezza is the United Nations Security Council.^[10][1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 18, 1060
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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
6. ^ 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
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 4, 894
9. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
11. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli