spettacolo

Forms

spettacolo m (plural spettacoli)^[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin spectāculum (“sight, show; a show in the theatre or circus”).^[2][3][4][5] The Latin noun is formed from spectō (“to watch, look at”) with the instrumental suffix -culum.^[6][1][7] That verb is a frequentative of speciō (“to look at”), made on its past participle spectus.^[1] Nocentini notes that the Latin word properly meant what was seen at the theatre or the circus.^[3]

Körting points out that the word came into every Romance language through the written language only: French spectacle, recorded in French from the 12th century, Spanish espectáculo and Portuguese espetáculo.^[8][9][3] Old Italian also wrote it with a Latin spelling, as Old Italian spectaculo and Old Italian spettaculo.^[10][11]

DELI suggests that the adjective spettacolare (1942) may be modelled on English spectacular, recorded in 1682.^[2] Avanspettacolo, the variety act shown before a film, is avant-spectacle.^[9][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is Domenico Cavalca's Vite dei santi padri (1321–1330, Pisan text in a Florentine copy), for something that presents itself to the eye.^[10] In it the hermit watches ants carrying food in and out of a narrow hole, and “in questo spettacolo tutto il giorno istetti con gran diletto” (“I stayed all day at this sight with great delight”).^[11] DELI and Prati also cite an undated 14th-century translation of John Chrysostom for a public show, but DELI marks its date as doubtful.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word had two branches: a sight remarkable for good or ill, often figurative (“a spectacle to the world”), and the games and theatre of ancient Rome, with the place where they were held.^[10] Tommaseo still defined it first as a game or festival shown in public, such as a joust or a hunt.^[12] A literary sense “the spectators” survived into the Renaissance in Jacopo Sannazaro and is now obsolete.^[13][4]

The modern word names a theatrical, film, musical or television performance and each single showing of it, and since the 20th century the whole world of entertainment and the people who work in it (il mondo dello spettacolo).^[4][14][15] Dare spettacolo means to draw everyone's attention, either by real skill or by unseemly behaviour.^[14][13] Società dello spettacolo is a translation of French société du spectacle.^[15] Placed after a noun and invariable, spettacolo describes something turned into a show for its sensational side: politica spettacolo, informazione spettacolo.^[4][15][16]

Timeline

• 1321–1330 – Domenico Cavalca uses spettacolo for a remarkable sight.^[10]
• 14th century – A translation of John Chrysostom uses it for a public show, according to DELI (date doubtful).^[2]
• 1682 – English spectacular is recorded, the probable model of spettacolare.^[2]
• 1816 – Spettacoloso appears in the Milanese press.^[2]
• 1934 – Avanspettacolo is recorded, from French.^[5]
• 1942 – Spettacolare is recorded in Panzini's dictionary.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A performance or show given before an audience, in the theatre, cinema, television, music or sport: Lo spettacolo di burattini è piaciuto a tutti i bambini.^[4][14][16]
2. Each single showing of a programme: Siamo arrivati in ritardo per lo spettacolo delle nove.^[4][14]
3. (singular) The world of entertainment and the people who work in it: Lavora nello spettacolo da vent'anni..^[4][14][15]
4. A sight that strikes the eye because it is beautiful, unusual or dreadful; a spectacle: Dalla terrazza le luci della città erano uno spettacolo.^[4][14][15]
5. (after a noun, invariable) Turned into a show, aiming at sensation: politica spettacolo.^[4][16][15]
6. (obsolete) The crowd of spectators.^[4][13]

Word family

• spettacolare
• spettacoloso
• avanspettacolo
• spettacolistico

Related words

• spettatore
• spettare
• Latin spectaculum
• French spectacle

Usage notes

Dare spettacolo (“to make a show of oneself” or “to put on a fine display”) is a common set phrase.^[14][13][17] Che spettacolo! is an exclamation of admiration.^[15]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g 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 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. ^ a b c d Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 938
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 420
8. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
9. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3588
10. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
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, 850
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 4, 1097
13. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
14. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
15. ^ a b c d e f g Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
16. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
17. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli