Etymologically
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signora

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Pronunciation

  • /siɲˈɲo.ra/[1]

Forms

signora f (plural signore, masculine signore, diminutive signorìna, augmentative signoróna (“rich woman”))[1] The old form is Old Italian segnora.[2][3][4] Shortened forms include Italian sora, Friulian ⟨siore⟩ and Venetian ⟨siora⟩.[5][6]

Etymology

It is the feminine of signore.[7][8][2][3] Wiktionary takes it from Medieval Latin seniōra, a feminine of the Latin comparative.[1] The same feminine is Spanish señora and Portuguese senhora, while Old Occitan, Old Spanish and Old Portuguese used both the masculine form and a feminine in ⟨-ora⟩ for a woman.[5]

The masculine noun continues Latin senior (“older”), the comparative of senex (“old”).[7][9] In late Latin the comparative became a title, and in the Lex Salica and the Visigothic laws it referred to men of higher rank, the nobles;[7][6] Reto Bezzola, quoted by DELI, thought that the title may have come to Italy from France.[7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record of signora is in the Rime of Gallo, before 1503, in the sense “mistress, ruler”;[7][10] Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti date the word to the 16th century.[9][2][3] DEI records an older signoressa “lady” in the 14th century.[6]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century signore spread as a title under Spanish influence;[7] Ariosto complained in 1519 that it was given even to foreigners and courtesans.[7] Signora is used for a wife in Aretino (1534), for a woman in general in Giorgio Vasari (1562), and as a title of respect for a married woman in Paolo Segneri (1686).[7] Tommaseo–Bellini (1873) notes that a husband's wife was called la signora when one was not on familiar terms, and in 1905 Panzini found this bourgeois use affected.[7]

The senses “mistress of the house” (for servants, 1853) and “rich woman” (1873) are 19th-century records, “refined woman” is dated 1960.[7] Nostra Signora is the Virgin Mary, and la (vecchia) Signora the Turin football club Juventus.[11][8][4] French borrowed signora in 1661–1678, English in 1636 (as Signiora) and German in 1806.[10]

Timeline

  • Before 1503 – Gallo uses signora for a ruling woman.[7]
  • 1534 – Pietro Aretino uses it for “wife”.[7]
  • 1562 – Giorgio Vasari uses it for a woman in general.[7]
  • 1636 – English Signiora is first recorded.[10]
  • 1686 – Paolo Segneri uses it as a title of a married woman.[7]
  • 1806 – German Signora is recorded.[10]
  • 1873 – Tommaseo–Bellini records the sense “rich woman”.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A title of courtesy for a woman, especially a married one, before the surname, first name or title, or used alone in address: madam, Mrs: Buonasera, signora Bianchi.[8][2][3]
  2. A woman, said with respect: C'è una signora che chiede di lei.[3][8][11]
  3. wife: Il direttore è arrivato con la sua signora.[8][3][11]
  4. The mistress of the house, for the servants.[8][11][12]
  5. A lady, a refined woman; also a wealthy woman who need not work.[8][3][4]
  6. (literary) A city or power that rules over a territory: Venezia, signora dell'Adriatico.[8][11][4]
  7. (capitalized) Nostra Signora, the Virgin Mary.[11][4][12]

Word family

Usage notes

In writing signora is abbreviated sig.ra.[8][2] In answers, sì signora and no signora are also written sissignora and nossignora.[2][11]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  5. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  6. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3493
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  10. ^ a b c d Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli