Etymologically
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vista

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Pronunciation

Forms

vista f (plural viste)[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine of visto, the past participle of vedere “to see”, used as a noun.[2][3][4][5] Devoto explains that participle as Vulgar Latin *vīsitus, an altered Latin vīsus after the pattern of positus; the verb is Latin videō (“to see”).[6][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT's first date is 1294, for a sense it refers to visione.[7] DELI's earliest dated senses are Dante's: “appearance, look” in 1300–1313, and in the Purgatorio (1313–1319) “the range within which the eye can see” and, rarely, “a window or opening to look through”.[2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “eyesight, the faculty of seeing” is in Petrarch in 1374.[2] Tasso, before 1595, used the word for a panorama or view.[2] Old armour had a vista, a slit in the helmet to see through.[7] Commerce made a vista “at sight”, of a bill payable when presented, and German took Vista in this sense in 1728.[7][8]

English borrowed vista in 1644, for a view, and, from 1671 for a perspective view.[8] Phrases include a prima vista “at first sight”, conoscere di vista “to know by sight”, perdere di vista “to lose sight of”, in vista di “in view of” and punto di vista “point of view”.[7][4]

Timeline

  • 1294 – GRADIT's first date for vista.[7]
  • 1300–1313 – Dante uses it for “appearance”.[2]
  • 1313–1319 – Dante uses it for the field of vision and for a window.[2]
  • 1374 – Petrarch uses it for eyesight.[2]
  • Before 1595 – Tasso uses it for a view or panorama.[2]
  • 1644 – English vista is first recorded.[8]
  • 1728 – German Vista is recorded in commerce.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. eyesight, the sense of sight: Con gli anni la vista di mia nonna è peggiorata.[7][4][9]
  2. The act of seeing, the sight of something: Alla vista del cane il gatto scappò.[7][4]
  3. The field of vision, the chance of seeing, camera con vista sul lago, a room with a view of the lake.[7][4]
  4. What is seen; a view, panorama.[7][4][9]
  5. (literary) A look, glance; also a quick examination.[7][4]
  6. (literary) Appearance, look.[7][4]
  7. (archaic) An opening, a window; the eye slit of a helmet.[7][4]

Word family

  • svista
  • avvistare
  • vistoso

Usage notes

Vista is also the feminine of the past participle visto.[1][4] In commerce a vista means “at sight”, payable on presentation.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  5. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  8. ^ a b c d e Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  9. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse