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volo

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word volo

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1300–1313, Dante
Ultimate origin
Latin volō

Pronunciation

Forms

volo m (plural voli)[1]

Etymology

It is a deverbal noun of volare (“to fly”), formed in Italian.[2][3][4][5][1] The verb continues Latin volō (“to fly”), and GRADIT sets up a noun Latin *volus behind “volo”.[6][1] French vol, which means both “flight” and “theft”, and Spanish vuelo were formed separately in the same way, from voler and volar.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record of the noun for the flight of birds is in Boccaccio's Elegia di Madonna Fiammetta (1340–1342), but Dante had already used it in a simile between 1300 and 1313.[7] Fiammetta says that whenever she saw a fine flight of birds or a notable course, it came to her lips to wish her lover there: Come alcuno bello volo, o notabile corso vedeva.[5][8]

Semantic evolution

By the 17th century the word had a figurative sense, a bold or brilliant leap of the mind, recorded before 1638 in Gabriello Chiabrera.[7] Tommaseo records the volo d'Icaro, said of someone who rises too high and falls.[8]

Aviation gave it a new life: a Milanese newspaper used it for the flight of a machine in 1803, Mele Dander for the path of a thrown body in 1919, and in 1929 Marinetti and Azari's Primo dizionario aereo italiano listed dozens of kinds of flight, from volo di ricognizione to volo rovesciato.[7] The sense “flock”, as in un volo di storni, is recorded from 1961.[7][6] The modern sense “air journey” and phrases such as al volo, “on the wing” and figuratively “at once”, and a volo d'uccello, “from above; at a glance”, are among the commonest uses.[6][9][10] From volo a vela, gliding, come volovelista (1942) and volovelismo (1955).[2]

Timeline

  • 1300–1313 – Dante uses volo in a simile.[7]
  • 1340–1342 – Boccaccio writes of the flight of birds in the Fiammetta.[7][5]
  • Before 1638 – Chiabrera uses it for a flight of the mind.[7]
  • 1803 – A Milanese paper uses it for a flying machine.[7]
  • 1929 – Marinetti and Azari's aviation dictionary lists the kinds of flight.[7]
  • 1942 – Volovelista “glider pilot” is recorded.[2]
  • 1961 – The sense “flock” is recorded.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. flight, flying: the ability of birds, insects and bats to move through the air on wings, and the act of doing so: il volo radente delle rondini.[6][3][9]
  2. (aviation) The movement of an aircraft or spacecraft through the air or space: volo spaziale.[6][3][4]
  3. A flight, a journey by air: Il volo per Napoli parte alle sette.[6][3][4]
  4. A flock of birds, or a formation of aircraft.[6][11]
  5. (hunting) A decoy bird whose flight draws others towards the hunter.[6][11]
  6. The path of a body thrown or falling through the air; a fall, a tumble: Ha fatto un volo dalla bicicletta.[6][4]
  7. A quick dash somewhere: faccio un volo in farmacia.[6]
  8. (figurative) A free flight of the mind: i voli della sua fantasia.[6][7]

Word family

  • volovelismo
  • volovelista

Usage notes

Al volo means “in flight” and also “immediately”, as in capire al volo, to catch on at once;[9][10] prendere il volo is to take wing and, figuratively, to vanish.[9][10] Two rare words share the spelling: an old volo “will, whim”, a deverbal of volere used by Bonagiunta Orbicciani,[12] and a volo “theft” taken from French vol, recorded by Tramater (1829) and Panzini (1931).[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  8. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  11. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  12. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 21, 995
  13. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 4084
Cite this entry

“Volo.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/volo. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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