territorio

Forms

territorio m (plural territori)^[1]

Etymology

It is learned: it is borrowed from Latin territōrium (“the land belonging to a town”), formed from terra (“land”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} The ending is a suffix of place, as in praetōrium and dormītōrium;^[2][6][7] Devoto calls the formation analogical and irregular.^[2][6][7] The OLD compares dēversōrium, and notes a spelling ⟨terit-⟩ in Varro, by association with terō (“to rub”).^[5] De Vaan points out that -tōrium was productive only after verb stems, so the rise of the word is unexplained.^[8] The base word goes back to Proto-Italic *tersā and Proto-Indo-European *ters-h₂- (“dry land”).^[8]

The Latin word is Spanish territorio and French territoire as well, both learned.^[3][9][10] Its popular outcomes need a variant Vulgar Latin *terrātōrium: Old French terreoir (modern French terroir) and Old Occitan terrador.^[9][10][11] Old Italian also had tenitoro, reshaped after tenere, and the forms teritoro and terratorio.^[9][12][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in the Statutes of the Florentine Tribunale della Mercanzia, in the 14th century, with the sense “region, country”.^[2][6] Tommaseo quotes the passage, on rights against the people nel territorio del quale something was done.^[13]

Semantic evolution

From the area under a town or a lord, the word came to mean any large stretch of land.^[12][4] Boccaccio writes of a dowry of un grandissimo territorio in Casentino e nell'Alpi.^[11] In the 14th century it also meant a diocese.^[6] The modern senses are the land within a state's borders where its authority applies, an administrative unit, the land as environment, and in ethology the area an animal defends.^[4][14][15] In baseball it is the field of play.^[15][14]

The adjective territoriale is from Late Latin territoriālis and is recorded from the 17th century; territorialità from 1859.^[3]

Timeline

• 14th century – The Statutes of the Tribunale della Mercanzia use territorio “region, country”.^[2]
• 14th century – The sense “diocese” is recorded.^[6]
• 17th century – Territoriale is first recorded.^[3]
• 1859 – Territorialità is first recorded.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A large stretch of land; a geographical region: un territorio collinare.^[4][16][14]
2. An area within a border forming a jurisdictional or administrative unit: il territorio comunale.^[4][16][15]
3. (law) The territory of a state, over which it exercises sovereignty, including subsoil, waters and airspace.^[4][16][17]
4. In some federal states, a region governed directly by the federal government.^[4]
5. The land considered as environment, with its natural and built features: la tutela del territorio.^[4][14][15]
6. (ethology) The area an animal or group of animals defends against others.^[14][15][18]
7. (baseball) The field of play.^[15][14][18]
8. (figurative, literary) A field of interests or activity.^[18]

Word family

• territoriale
• territorialità

Related words

• terra
• terreno
• Latin territorium
• French territoire
• French terroir

Usage notes

Fixed phrases include competenza per territorio, the jurisdiction of a court by place, territori occupati, and marcatura del territorio.^[4][16][19]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e f Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3767
7. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 442
8. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
10. ^ a b Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
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. 20, 961
12. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
13. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
15. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
16. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
17. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
18. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
19. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana