Etymologically
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soltanto

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Pronunciation

  • /solˈtan.to/[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Italian solo + tanto, literally “only so much”.[2][3][4][1] The second part has the sense “only” that Latin tantum already had in Latin, where the neuter of tantus (“so great”) meant both “so much” and “so much and no more, merely”.[1] In older texts the parts are written apart, as “sol tanto”.[5][6]

The sources disagree on the date: DEI finds it in Boccaccio in the 14th century, Zingarelli dates it before 1353 and GRADIT before 1375, while DELI's first record is John Florio's dictionary of 1611 and Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti give the 17th century.[7][5][4][2][3][8][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the earliest records it means “only, solely”, limiting what is said to one thing, as it still does.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Beside its use as an adverb, soltanto came to work as a conjunction with adversative force, “but, however”, introducing a reservation after a positive statement.[4][5][9] With the subjunctive, soltanto che means “provided that”.[5][6] In poetry and prose of the 18th–20th centuries it often follows the word it limits, as in Foscolo and Manzoni.[10]

Timeline

  • 14th century – Boccaccio uses soltanto.[7]
  • Before 1353 – Zingarelli's date of first record.[5]
  • 1611 – John Florio's dictionary records it.[2]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. only, just, merely: Ho dormito soltanto quattro ore.[4][8][9][1]
  2. Solely, exclusively: Si fida soltanto di sua sorella.[4][5]
  3. Not until, only (of time): L'ho saputo soltanto ieri.[5][4]

Conjunction

  1. but, however, except that: La casa è bella, soltanto un po' buia.[4][9][5]
  2. soltanto che (with the subjunctive): provided that.[5][6]

Usage notes

Soltanto is a synonym of solo and solamente, with the same uses.[9][5]

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 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 e f g h i j Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  7. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3538
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  10. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 19, 360