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tecnologia

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word tecnologia

Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1821
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek τέχνη,λόγος

Pronunciation

  • /tek.no.loˈd͡ʒi.a/[1]

Forms

tecnologia f (plural tecnologie)[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from Italian tecno- + -logia, on the model of Ancient Greek τεχνολογία (tekhnología, “systematic treatment of an art”).[2][3][4][5][1] Several dictionaries treat it simply as a learned borrowing of the Greek word, which is formed from τέχνη (tékhnē, “art, craft”) and λόγος (lógos, “word, discourse”).[6][7][8][9] Treccani adds that its more recent senses follow English technology.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Bonavilla's dictionary of 1821, which explains the word as a treatise on the arts.[10][2][3] Anton Maria Salvini, who died in 1729, had already used it in a discourse, speaking of “the most obvious little rules of technology”, which is why Zingarelli dates it before 1729.[11][9][12]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the word meant the study of the arts and trades and the application of science to them: Tommaseo–Bellini defines it as the discipline that applies physics and mathematics to the arts and crafts, and Pisacane proposed state schools of tecnologia in the main Italian cities.[11][9] The narrower sense, the study of the processes that turn a raw material into an industrial product, is recorded in 1932, in the Enciclopedia italiana.[10]

In the later 20th century it came to mean the tools and techniques themselves, as in alta tecnologia and nuove tecnologie, the applications of computing and telecommunications.[3][6] Anthropology uses it for the material means by which a culture lives off its environment.[6][5]

Timeline

  • Before 1729 – Anton Maria Salvini uses tecnologia.[12][9]
  • 1821 – Bonavilla's dictionary records it as “a treatise on the arts”.[10]
  • 1879 – GRADIT's date for the first record.[6]
  • 1932 – The Enciclopedia italiana uses it for the study of industrial processes.[10]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The study of technique and its applications, a field of research drawing on several sciences.[6][3][12]
  2. The study and use of the materials, machines and processes needed to turn raw materials into industrial products, or to provide a service: tecnologia tessile, tecnologia informatica.[6][3][4]
  3. technology, the tools and techniques themselves: Questa azienda investe molto nelle nuove tecnologie.[3][4][5]
  4. A system of methods based on the scientific analysis of a process, especially in education: tecnologie dell'insegnamento.[6][3][12]
  5. (anthropology) The material activities by which a culture settles in and lives off its environment.[6][5][7]
  6. (rare) Technical terminology.[12][7]

Word family

  • tecnologico
  • tecnologo
  • ipertecnologia
  • tecnologizzare

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  8. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  9. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 20, 791
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  12. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
Cite this entry

“Tecnologia.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/tecnologia. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

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