Etymologically
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uscita

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Pronunciation

  • /uʃˈʃi.ta/[1]

Forms

uscita f (plural uscite)[1] An older and Tuscan popular form is escita;[2][3][4] Old Italian also had scita and northern ussita.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is the feminine past participle of uscire used as a noun.[5][6][7][1] The verb continues inherited from Latin exeō (“to go out”), from ex (“out of”) and eō (“to go”); its initial ⟨u⟩ is due to the influence of uscio “door”, and the change of ⟨x⟩ to ⟨sc⟩ has parallels.[5][1] Sicilian nisciuta is the same formation.[1]

The LEI notes that the Latin verb survives in Romanian, Sardinian and Italian, while in French and Spanish the words descended from it gave way to French sortir and Spanish salir.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's earliest dated sense is “expense, outlay”, in the Novellino at the end of the 13th century.[5] The general sense, the act or manner of going out, is first recorded in Dante's Convivio (1304–1308), the date GRADIT gives for the word.[5][9]

Semantic evolution

Boccaccio uses uscita for the opening through which one goes out (1348–1353), and Lionardo Salviati in 1584–1586 for the ending of a word.[5] Old texts also have fare l'uscita for a military sortie, and dazio d'uscita for an export duty.[10][9]

The modern senses multiplied in the 19th and 20th centuries: libera uscita, the free time of soldiers and boarders, is in De Amicis in 1899; a witty or odd remark is an uscita in Tommaseo (1879); and in football the goalkeeper's coming off his line is recorded in 1954.[5] The word also names the publication of a book or record, the motorway exit, and in electronics the output of a device.[9][11][1]

Timeline

  • Late 13th century – The Novellino uses uscita for an expense.[5]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses it for going out.[5][9]
  • 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses it for an exit, a way out.[5]
  • 1584–1586 – Lionardo Salviati uses it for the ending of a word.[5]
  • 1879 – Tommaseo records it for a witty remark.[5]
  • 1899 – Libera uscita is in Edmondo De Amicis.[5]
  • 1954 – The football sense, a goalkeeper's sortie, is recorded.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Going out, leaving a place: All'uscita dal cinema pioveva.[9][7][11]
  2. An exit, way out; a door or opening; a motorway exit: Prendi la seconda uscita per Bologna.[9][7][11][1]
  3. (figurative) A way out of a difficulty: Non vedo nessuna via d'uscita..[9][7][12]
  4. The release or publication of a book, film or product; an issue of a part-work.[9][11][12][1]
  5. (accounting) An expense, outgoing, as opposed to entrata: A dicembre le uscite sono state altissime.[9][11]
  6. (figurative) A witty or odd remark.[9][11]
  7. An outing; an appearance in public; an actor's exit or entrance on stage.[9][12][1]
  8. (sports) In football, the goalkeeper's coming off the line; in gymnastics, the dismount.[9][12]
  9. (electronics) An output.[9][1]

Word family

  • buonuscita

Usage notes

Uscita di sicurezza and uscita d'emergenza are emergency exits, and buonuscita is a severance payment.[7][9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  3. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  4. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  8. ^ Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 22, 291
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  10. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  12. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli