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violenza

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word violenza

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1282, Restoro d'Arezzo
Borrowed from
Latin violentia
Ultimate origin
Latin vis
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin violentus
French violent
Latin violentia
French violence
Italian violenza
From the same root
English violence ← violentia

Pronunciation

  • /vjoˈlɛn.t͡sa/[1]

Forms

violenza f (plural violenze)[1] Old forms include Old Italian violenzia, Old Italian violença and Old Italian violentia.[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin violentia (“violence, impetuosity”), a learned word.[4][5][6][1] The Latin noun was formed from violentus (“violent”),[5][7][1] which Nocentini derives from vīs (“force, violence”) and DELI connects with violō (“to violate”), formed like opulentus.[5][4] The corresponding French violence is recorded from 1215.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Restoro d'Arezzo's treatise of 1282, and DELI's in Dante, 1300–1313.[2][4][8] The early sense was brutal force that compels a person or a thing against its will.[2] In the Paradiso Dante asks how la vïolenza altrui, violence done by others, can lessen one's merit,[9] and Francesco da Buti, before 1406, defines violenza as force used to the harm of others.[4][9]

Semantic evolution

From Boccaccio, 1348–1353, the word also means a violent act.[4] Old Italian already had fare or usare violenza for rape, and spoke of the violence of a storm or of a strong medicine.[2][9] Later legal language defined violenza carnale, a term in use by 1899, and violenza privata, coercion of another person.[4][8]

Dolce violenza, gentle insistence that makes someone accept something, probably comes from French faire une douce violence (1740); Segneri had amabile violenza in 1686.[4] Non violenza translates French non-violence (about 1920).[4][3]

Timeline

  • 1282 – Restoro d'Arezzo uses the word.[2]
  • 1300–1313 – Dante uses violenza in the Commedia.[4]
  • 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses it for a violent act.[4]
  • Before 1406 – Francesco da Buti defines it as force used to the harm of others.[4]
  • 1686 – Segneri writes of amabile violenza.[4]
  • 1899 – Violenza carnale appears in the title of a legal study by A. Mortara.[4]
  • About 1920 – Non violenza is formed after French non-violence.[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. violence: the use of physical force, or a tendency to use it, to impose one's will on others: La violenza non risolve nulla.[6][10][11]
  2. Harshness or aggressiveness of words, gestures or manners: la violenza delle sue accuse.[6][10][8]
  3. Great force or intensity of a natural event: la violenza della tempesta.[6][10][11]
  4. A violent act against someone, physical or psychological, fare dolce violenza is to persuade someone gently but firmly.[6][8][12]
  5. (law) rape, sexual assault (violenza carnale, violenza sessuale); violenza privata is the crime of forcing someone to do or omit something.[6][10][12]

Word family

  • iperviolenza
  • violento
  • violentare
  • violare
  • nonviolenza
  • Latin violentia

Usage notes

Farsi violenza means to force oneself to act against one's own impulses.[12][13] Violenza domestica is abuse within the family or a couple.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  5. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  10. ^ 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
  11. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  12. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  13. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli

Related etymologies

  • no · also from Latin
  • cosa · also from Latin
  • a · also from Latin
  • mio · also from Latin
  • uno · also from Latin
  • si · also from Latin
  • sapere · also from Latin
  • fare · also from Latin
Cite this entry

“Violenza.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/violenza. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·