voglia

Forms

voglia f (plural voglie)^[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian volere (“to want”), formed on the first person singular of the present, voglio, rather than on the infinitive.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The same pattern gave vaglia from valere and doglia from dolere.^[6][3][7] That verb form goes back to Vulgar Latin *voleō, which replaced classical Latin volō (“to want”).^[6][8] Wiktionary also allows a Vulgar Latin noun *volia, which would match Romanian voie.^[1]

The Latin verb continues Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“to choose, want”), the root also of English will.^[1][9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The DEI dates the word to the 13th century, in Guittone and Jacopone, with voia in Lapo Gianni.^[8] Battaglia quotes Patecchio's “bona voia” (good will) and the Compiuta Donzella, who would not be married, having “né disio né voglia” (neither desire nor will) for it; the first sense is will, the disposition to do something.^[11]

Semantic evolution

DELI first finds both “will, intention” and “strong desire” in Dante (1300–1313), who writes of “la bramosa voglia” (greedy desire).^[2][4] Later senses are sexual desire (1533–1536, Giannotti), the sudden cravings of pregnant women (1640, Oudin) and whim (1836).^[2]

A voglia is also a birthmark (before 1535, Berni), from the popular belief that a mark on the child came from a craving of the mother's left unsatisfied during pregnancy; where it appeared depended on where she had touched herself when she felt the craving.^[2][3] French envie has the same double sense, and Sicilian and Calabrian disìu “desire” also means a birthmark.^[8]

Many phrases grew up around the word: contro voglia and di mala voglia “unwillingly”, now also written as one word, morire dalla voglia “to long for”, and hai voglia!, “of course!” or “it's no use”.^[12][13][14] Galley rowers who served freely were buonavoglia.^[7]

Timeline

• 13th century – Guittone and Jacopone use voglia, and Lapo Gianni voia.^[8]
• 1300–1313 – Dante uses voglia for will and for strong desire.^[2]
• 1313–1319 – Dante uses voglioso.^[2]
• Before 1535 – Berni uses voglia for a birthmark.^[2]
• 1533–1536 – Giannotti uses it for sexual desire.^[2]
• 1640 – Oudin records the craving of pregnant women.^[2]
• 1836 – The sense “whim” is recorded in the Milanese press.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. will, inclination to do something: Stasera non ho voglia di cucinare.^{[14][12][13][7]}
2. A strong desire, a longing for something, especially a sudden one: Mi è venuta voglia di un caffè.^{[14][12][4][1]}
3. (usually plural) A whim, a caprice.^[14][12][4]
4. (euphemistic, usually plural) Sexual desire.^[14][12][13]
5. (colloquial, usually plural) The cravings of a pregnant woman for a particular food or drink.^[14][12][4]
6. A birthmark, a mole or angioma, popularly put down to a craving the mother did not satisfy.^[14][4][1]
7. (literary) Will, volontà.^[13][7]

Word family

• voglioso
• vogliosità
• controvoglia
• invogliare
• svogliato
• svogliatezza
• svogliare

Related words

• volere
• volontà
• Romanian voie

Usage notes

Hai voglia! is said to mean “certainly!”, and hai voglia di or hai voglia a that it is no use doing something.^[13][14][12] Contro voglia and di mala voglia are also written controvoglia and malavoglia.^[12][5]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
6. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 4080
9. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 21, 973
12. ^ a b c d e f g h Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
13. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
14. ^ 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