Etymologically
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sorriso

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Pronunciation

  • /sorˈri.zo/, /sorˈri.so/[1]

Forms

sorriso m (plural sorrisi)[1]

Etymology

It is derived from the verb sorridere, on the model of riso “laughter” beside ridere.[2][3][4][5] Wiktionary connects it directly with Latin subrīsus (“a smiling”), the noun from the past participle of subrīdeō (“to smile”).[1]

The verb continues subrīdeō, made of sub- (“under, slightly”) and rīdeō (“to laugh”), with a change of conjugation;[2][6] Nocentini sets up a Vulgar Latin form with the prefix assimilated.[2][6] The same verb is French sourire and, with a different prefix, Spanish sonreír.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is Dante's Paradiso, before 1321, for the act and manner of smiling: Vincendo me col lume d'un sorriso, / ella mi disse “overcoming me with the light of a smile, she said to me”.[2][5]

Semantic evolution

After Dante the word was used by Bembo, Aretino and Tasso for the smile as a sign of joy, kindness or seduction, and more rarely of irony or scorn.[5] The figurative sense “gladness, beauty”, as in il sorriso della natura, is recorded in 1873 by Tommaseo and Bellini, who quote it from a modern writer.[2][4] Art history speaks of the sorriso eginetico, the smile of archaic Greek sculpture such as the statues of Aegina.[7]

Timeline

  • Mid-13th century – Stefano Protonotaro uses the verb sorridere.[2]
  • Before 1321 – Dante uses sorriso in the Paradiso.[2][5]
  • 1873 – Tommaseo and Bellini record the figurative sense “gladness, beauty”.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A smile: a slight movement of the lips and eyes, as in a silent laugh: Ci salutò con un sorriso stanco.[7][8][3][1]
  2. (figurative, literary) A cheerful, charming look of something; gladness, beauty: il sorriso del mare.[7][8][3][4]

Word family

  • sorrisetto
  • sorrisino

Usage notes

Fixed phrases are avere sempre il sorriso sulle labbra, to be always cheerful, and avere un sorriso per tutti, to be friendly to everyone.[7][9] A separate, literary sorriso is the past participle of sorridere used as an adjective, “said with a smile”, as in Dante's sorrise parolette brevi.[7][8][5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  4. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  5. ^ a b c d e Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  6. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  8. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  9. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana