Etymologically
Log in

squadra

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 21 October 2026 at 19:41. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈskwa.dra/[1]

Forms

squadra f (plural squadre)[1] Old Italian forms include scatra, scuadra, sguadra and squara.[2]

Etymology

It is formed from the verb squadrare (“to square”) without a suffix.[3][4][5][1] That verb continues inherited from Vulgar Latin *exquadrāre, made of ex- and Latin quadrō (“to make square”), which comes from quadrus (“square”).[3][4][1] The tool has the same origin as French équerre, Occitan escaire, Spanish escuadra and Portuguese esquadro.[6]

Nocentini separates ⟨squadra¹⟩, the tool for squaring, from ⟨squadra²⟩, an arrangement in a square and so a group of four.[4] Treccani and Sabatini–Coletti likewise explain the military sense from formations that were originally drawn up in a square.[7][8] DEI derives the naval sense from ships sailing in formation.[9] Medieval Latin had ⟨squatra⟩ at Todi in 1289.[9][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in a poet of the 13th-century Sicilian school, for the drawing tool: Sì terrò per voi le seste e squadre “so I will hold the compasses and squares for you”.[3][2] Tommaseo and DEI attribute the line to Franco Sacchetti, and GRADIT dates the word to the first half of the 14th century.[10][9][5]

Semantic evolution

Filarete used the word before 1465 for a group of people doing the same work, and Lorenzo de' Medici for a band of companions.[3][11] In the military sense it named the smallest unit of the army in Guicciardini (before 1540) and a group of soldiers in Tasso (1581), with the form squatra already at the end of the 15th century.[3] Galileo uses it for a group of warships in the 17th century.[9] The sports sense “team” is recorded from 1914, and squadre d'azione were the armed fascist squads of 1921.[3][12]

Italian squadra and squadrone passed into the other languages of Europe as military words: French escadre, Spanish escuadra and Portuguese esquadra “squadron”, and escadron.[6][9] English took squadra in 1922 for a fascist squad.[12]

Timeline

  • 13th century – A Sicilian-school poet uses the word for the drawing tool.[3]
  • 1289 – Medieval Latin ⟨squatra⟩ is recorded at Todi.[9]
  • before 1465 – Filarete uses it for a team of workers.[3]
  • late 15th century – Squatra is used for a group of soldiers.[3]
  • before 1540 – Guicciardini uses it for the smallest army unit.[3]
  • 17th century – Galileo uses it for a squadron of ships.[9]
  • 1914 – The sense “sports team” appears in the Resto del Carlino.[3]
  • 1922 – English borrows squadra for a fascist squad.[12]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A set square, a right-angled triangle used in technical drawing.[5][13][8]
  2. A square used by carpenters and builders to mark and check right angles.[5][14] A squadra, in squadra: at right angles.[13][14] Fuori squadra: out of true, and figuratively upset or out of sorts.[5][13][14]
  3. (military) A squad, the smallest unit of the army, led by a non-commissioned officer.[5][8][7]
  4. (military) A squadron of warships or military aircraft.[5][15]
  5. A team of people doing the same work: È arrivata una squadra di operai per riparare il tetto.[5][8][15]
  6. (sports) A team: La squadra di casa ha vinto di misura.[5][8][7]
  7. An armed group, especially a paramilitary one.[5][14] Squadra mobile: the special police unit that investigates crimes.[5][15][7]

Word family

  • squadraccia
  • squadrismo
  • squadrista
  • squadrone
  • squadretta
  • quadrare
  • quadro
  • squadrare
  • squadriglia
  • squadro
  • French escadre

Usage notes

GRADIT lists a separate technical squadra (1960) as a variant of squadro, a technical term of its own.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 19, 1081
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  8. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3607
  10. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 943
  12. ^ a b c Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  13. ^ 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
  14. ^ a b c d Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  15. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli