Etymologically
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video

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Pronunciation

Forms

video m (invariable)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from English video, which is the Latin verb form videō (“I see”) made into a noun.[1][2][3][4] Bruno Migliorini explained it as a substantivized first person singular of “vidēre”, chosen on the model of audio “I hear”, which already existed as the first part of words like audiogramma; he dated it to the United States in early 1948 and to Italy just after.[5] Later research found the English noun, in contrast with “audio”, from 1937, and as an adjective from 1935.[5]

Nocentini instead treats it as an Italian formation, the prefix video- used alone with the second part of a compound left out, and Zingarelli as the English prefix made into a noun.[6][7] The Latin verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *u̯id-eh₁- (“to see”), like Ancient Greek οἶδα (oîda, “I know”) and Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍄 (wait, “I know”).[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is a letter in the Corriere della Sera of 22 November 1953, for the picture part of television: “l'audio e il video, come mi dicono che si chiamano” (the audio and the video, as I am told they are called).[5]

Semantic evolution

By 1958 video was also the television screen, and, from there television itself: stare davanti al video.[5][9] The adjective, for anything to do with the transmission of images (segnale video), is recorded in 1961.[5][2]

With computing the word came to mean the screen of a terminal or computer, and, from the 1980s it was used as a clipped form of videoclip, videotape and videocassetta: L'Espresso wrote in 1983 that nearly every musician wanted a video to launch a record.[10][11] Today it is above all a short film, especially one watched online.[9]

Timeline

  • 1935 – English video is recorded as an adjective.[5]
  • 1937 – English video is used in contrast with audio.[5]
  • 1953 – The Corriere della Sera uses video for the picture part of television.[5]
  • 1958 – La Stampa uses it for the television screen.[5]
  • 1961 – The adjectival use is recorded.[5]
  • 1983 – L'Espresso uses video for a music videoclip.[11]
  • 1987 – Videata, a screenful of data, is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The picture part of a television signal or system, as opposed to audio.[10][9][2]
  2. A screen of a television, computer or terminal; television itself: Passa le serate incollato al video.[10][9][2][1]
  3. A video: a short film, a music videoclip, a videocassette: Ha caricato un video del concerto.[9][2][3][1]

Adjective

  1. Relating to the recording and transmission of images: segnale video, scheda video.[10][9][7]

Word family

  • videata

Usage notes

Video is invariable: un video, due video.[1][10] Sabatini–Coletti note that it is sometimes used in the feminine for a videocassette.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  3. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  4. ^ 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 Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ 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 d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  10. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  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. 21, 854