velocità

Forms

velocità f (invariable)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin vēlōcitās (“speed”), a learned word, from the accusative vēlōcitātem.^[2][1][3][4] The Latin noun is derived from vēlōx (“swift, quick”) with the suffix -tās, and Italian has the adjective as veloce.^[5][6][7] Old Italian also had the full forms Old Italian velocitade and Old Italian velocitate.^[8][9][10]

De Vaan suggests that vēlōx meant “wind-like”, from a noun Proto-Italic *wēlo- (“wind”) built on the root Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”), the root of ventus (“wind”); he notes that Italic has no present verb from this root, so the noun would be a very old derivative.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

Dante uses velocitade once, in the Convivio (1304–1308).^[8][2] The form velocità is first found in Boccaccio (1341–1342), in the sense “swiftness”: a girl who ran so fast that she seemed to leave the winds behind.^[8][3]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century the word became a term of physics: Galileo used it in 1638 for the ratio between the distance covered and the time taken, and his principle that a falling body grows in speed in proportion to its distance from the start.^[8][3] Tommaseo distinguished it from its synonyms: velocità for movement, celerità for both movement and action, rapidità for violent motion.^[10]

In motor vehicles the word has meant a gear since 1965 (la terza velocità).^[8][9] Railway language has grande and piccola velocità for faster and slower goods transport, and alta velocità for the high-speed network.^[12][7] In athletics and cycling it names sprint races.^[12][1]

Timeline

• 1304–1308 – Dante uses velocitade.^[8][2]
• 1341–1342 – Boccaccio uses velocità.^[8]
• 1638 – Galileo uses it as a term of physics.^[8]
• 1965 – The sense “gear” of a motor vehicle is recorded.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. speed: the quality of moving fast: La lepre scappò a gran velocità.^[2][4][12]
2. Quickness, promptness in doing something: speed of thought, of reflexes.^[2][12]
3. (physics) velocity: the ratio of distance covered to time taken, a vector quantity measured in metres per second.^[2][7][4]
4. A gear of a motor vehicle: Metti la seconda velocità.^[2][9]
5. (athletics, cycling) A sprint race.^[1][12]

Related words

• veloce
• velocista
• velocizzare
• Latin velox

Usage notes

Common phrases include a tutta velocità (at full speed), prendere velocità (to speed up), limite di velocità (speed limit) and velocità di crociera (cruising speed).^[2][12][9]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
4. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
9. ^ a b c d Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
10. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
11. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
12. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli