speciale

Forms

speciale m or f by sense (plural speciali, superlative specialissimo)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin speciālis (“particular, of a species”), from speciēs (“appearance; kind, species”) with the suffix -ālis; in Latin it was opposed to generālis (“general”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} DEI notes that the word was spread by medieval theology, and compares French spécial, recorded from the 12th century;^[6][7] Körting points out that it is a learned word throughout Romance.^[6][7] The same word is Spanish especial.^[3] The old form Old Italian speziale shows the popular treatment of the group ⟨ci⟩.^[2][8][9]

Several derivatives came through French: specialista is spécialiste, specializzare is spécialiser, and specializzazione and the phrase for a skilled worker follow French models as well.^[2][6] The noun for a television programme on one subject renders the English special.^[10][11]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the form speziale in Guittone d'Arezzo (before 1294), in the sense “belonging to a particular species or case, as opposed to general”;^[2][12] Zingarelli dates the word to about 1261.^[2][12] The GDLI quotes Dante's Convivio, where the heart means “the secret within”, not “any special part” (speziale parte) of the soul or body.^[11]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word was used of prayers, mandates and divine inspirations meant for a particular case, as Tommaseo's quotations from Boccaccio and Segneri show.^[13] The sense “choice, of uncommon quality” is recorded only in 1922, in Zingarelli.^[2] Guittone also has the first specialità (before 1294), but the modern senses of that noun, “field of expertise” (1873) and “typical product” (1886, condemned by Rigutini as a Gallicism), follow French spécialité.^[2]

Specialista appears in 1846 in the Milanese press, in italics as a foreign word, for a doctor in one branch of medicine, and Tommaseo condemned it in 1873.^[2] Phrases such as inviato speciale, effetti speciali, offerta speciale and tribunale speciale belong to modern journalism, cinema, commerce and law.^[4][8][10]

Timeline

• About 1261 – Zingarelli's date for the word.^[12]
• Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses speziale and specialitate.^[2]
• Before 1704 – Specializzare is recorded, in Lorenzo Bellini.^[2]
• 1846 – Specialista appears in the Milanese press.^[2]
• 1922 – The sense “choice, excellent” is recorded.^[2]
• 1925 – Italian law regulates the specialità medicinali, proprietary medicines.^[2]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Belonging to a limited field or group, specific, as opposed to general: la cucina speciale di una valle.^[4][12][10]
2. Out of the ordinary, special, particular: Per quella pelle serve una crema speciale.^[4][8][9][1]
3. Set up for a particular purpose or occasion: Il comune ha messo un autobus speciale per la partita.^[4][8][10]
4. (law) Provided for particular or exceptional cases: legge speciale, tribunale speciale.^[4][12][8]
5. Of a person: given a particular task: inviato speciale, a special correspondent.^[4][10]
6. Of excellent quality, choice: un formaggio davvero speciale.^[4][12][9]
7. Of a person: exceptional, dear: sei una persona speciale.^[4]
8. (colloquial) Odd, peculiar.^[10][1]

Noun

1. A television programme devoted to one subject or person.^{[12][9][10][1]}
2. (skiing) Short for slalom speciale, the special slalom.^[4][12][1]

Word family

• specialmente
• specialità
• specialista
• specialistico
• specializzare
• specializzato
• specializzazione

Related words

• specie
• speziale
• Latin speciālis
• French spécial
• English special

Usage notes

In special modo or in modo speciale means “especially”.^[12][10][14] The old variant speziale is not the same as speziale “apothecary”, which comes from spezie “spices”.^[7][8]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m 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 i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3582
7. ^ a b c Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
8. ^ 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
9. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
10. ^ a b c d e f g h Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
11. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 19, 767
12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
13. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 4, 1077
14. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli