sistema

Forms

sistema m (plural sistemi)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin systēma, from Ancient Greek σύστημα (sústēma, “a gathering, organized whole”).^[2][3][4][1] The Greek noun comes from συνίστημι (sunístēmi, “to put together”), formed from σύν (sún, “with”) and ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to set, place”), from the Indo-European root Proto-Indo-European *sthā- (“to stand”).^[2][1]

In Late Latin, as in Martianus Capella, “systema” was a musical term, “scale, system of sounds”.^[3][5] The word spread in Italian through the language of philosophy.^[5] French système is recorded in 1552, and Spanish sistema has the same source.^[5][3] Sistematico is from συστηματικός (sustēmatikós), and DELI derives its noun sistematica from French.^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the musician Franchino Gaffurio in 1508, for a set of elements arranged into an organized whole subject to rules.^[2][4] The adjective sistematico is in the same text.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century the word was used for a method, a way of organizing something (Daniello Bartoli, 1677), and for a body of scientific or philosophical doctrine.^[2][6] The sense “political order of a country” is recorded in 1764 in Pietro Verri, who spoke of the incompatibility of luxury with the republican system.^[2] Goldoni used it for a person's habits, and Manzoni wrote that Don Abbondio's system was to avoid all conflict.^[2] Tommaseo still disapproved of sistema di vita and suggested metodo or tenore instead.^[2]

In football, sistema named a tactical formation with fixed marking, discussed in the Guerin sportivo in 1929 and established as a technical term in 1939.^[2] The modern dictionaries list dozens of compounds in anatomy, astronomy, physics, computing and politics: sistema nervoso, sistema solare, sistema operativo, sistema elettorale.^[4][7][1] In the slang of Naples il Sistema is the Camorra, as its members call it.^[8]

As a musical term the Italian word was borrowed into German in 1732.^[9]

Timeline

• 1508 – Franchino Gaffurio uses sistema and sistematico.^[2]
• 1552 – French système is recorded.^[5]
• 1677 – Daniello Bartoli uses it for a method.^[2]
• 1695 – The musical sense “system of harmonic rules”.^[9]
• 1764 – Pietro Verri writes of the republican sistema.^[2]
• 1772 – Pietro Verri uses the verb sistemare.^[2]
• 1929 – Sistema di gioco in football, in the Guerin sportivo.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A system: a set of interdependent elements forming an organized whole: Il sistema dei trasporti della città funziona male.^{[4][10][11][1]}
2. A body of principles and ideas forming one doctrine: il sistema filosofico di Hegel.^[4][12]
3. (astronomy) A group of celestial bodies: sistema solare.^[4][7][11]
4. (anatomy) A set of organs with one function: sistema nervoso.^[7][11][10]
5. (technology, computing) A set of devices or programs working together: sistema operativo.^[7][12][1]
6. The political, economic and social order of a state, (colloquial) the establishment: Si presenta come un candidato contro il sistema.^[2][7][12]
7. A method, a way of doing something: Ho trovato un sistema per non perdere le chiavi.^[4][13][1]
8. Habit, way of behaving: Arrivare tardi è il suo sistema.^[13][2]
9. (games) A combination of forecasts played together in a pool or lottery: giocare un sistema.^[13][7]
10. (sports) A football formation based on man-to-man marking.^[2][7]

Word family

• sistemare
• sistematico
• sistematica
• sistematicità
• sistemazione
• sistematizzare
• sistemico
• sistemista
• sistemistica
• sottosistema
• antisistema

Related words

• French système
• Ancient Greek σύστημα (sústēma)

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3510
6. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. Supplemento 2009
9. ^ a b Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
10. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
11. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
12. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
13. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli