soffice

Forms

soffice m or f by sense (plural soffici)^[1]

Etymology

Its origin is uncertain.^[2][3][4] DELI and DEI suggest, with a “perhaps”, that it is inherited from Latin supplex (“suppliant, humble”), in the accusative, blended with other words.^[2][5] Nocentini and Devoto–Oli accept this source and explain the change of sense: the moral “yielding, compliant” became the physical “soft, giving way”, as in sollo.^[6][7] Nocentini compares French souple, Portuguese sôfrego and Romanian sufrec.^[6]

The ⟨ff⟩ for Latin ⟨ppl⟩ is unexpected.^[6] DEI, Zingarelli, the GDLI and Wiktionary explain it by the influence of a Vulgar Latin *sufflectere, from Latin flectō (“to bend”).^[5][8][9][1] Gabrielli sets up a popular Latin *sufflĭce(m) from the same blend.^[10] Nocentini instead thinks of confusion with the derivatives of flō (“to blow”) and pleō (“to fill”), as Spanish sollar and soplar both come from sufflō.^[6] In the 19th century Tommaseo cited German comparisons and the view that the word means “blown up”, from soffiare.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the Italian translation of the Collationes of John Cassian, from the first half of the 14th century, and GRADIT dates the word to before 1320.^[2][3] The text says that pillows are alquanto soffici, somewhat soft: yielding easily to pressure.^[9][11]

Semantic evolution

The sense has stayed close to the first one: soft to the touch and giving under weight, of pillows, mattresses, beds, wool, cotton and sand.^[9][11] In farming a terreno soffice is well-tilled soil, open to air and water.^[11][3][4] Older sources also record soffice as a noun, a square iron on which smiths laid hot iron to pierce it.^[11][5]

The figurative senses “mild, not harsh” and of light or sound “soft, muted” were reinforced by English soft in the 20th century.^[7][3] Technical uses followed: volo soffice, flight in light aircraft powered by human muscle or by the sun, and energia soffice, the same as energia dolce, renewable energy.^[8][3] The noun sofficità is recorded from 1960.^[6]

Timeline

• Before 1320 – The word is recorded, in DELI from the Italian translation of Cassian.^[3][2]
• 16th century – Berni uses the diminutive sofficioccio.^[5]
• 1960 – Sofficità “softness” is recorded.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. soft, giving gently under pressure: una coperta soffice.^{[3][7][12][1]}
2. Light and fluffy in look or texture, like whipped cream or clouds.^[3][10]
3. (figurative) Of light, soft and diffuse.^[3] Of sound, muffled.^[3]
4. (figurative) Mild, not harsh or traumatic, accommodating: un approccio soffice.^[3][7][12]
5. (agriculture) Of soil, well broken up and permeable to air and water.^[3][4][10]
6. (ecology) The same as dolce, of renewable energy: energia soffice.^[3][8]

Word family

• sofficità
• sofficemente

Related words

• supplice
• sollo
• Latin supplex

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d 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 g h i j k l m De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
5. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3526
6. ^ a b c d e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
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
10. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
11. ^ a b c d e Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse