Italian words from Greek
39 Italian words with Greek in their history, whether borrowed directly or passed on through other languages.
ancora
1. The adverb is inherited from Vulgar Latin *hancōra, from the phrase Latin hanc (“this”) hōram (“hour”), “at this hour”, according to DELI, GRADIT, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti. Wiktionary…
angelo
It is inherited from Late Latin angelus (“angel”), borrowed from Ancient Greek ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger, envoy”). The Greek translators of the Old Testament used “ángelos” to render the Hebrew…
bagno
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *baneum, the popular form of Latin balneum (“bath; bathing place”), which had lost the rare cluster ⟨ln⟩. The form ⟨baneum⟩ is written on a wall at Pompeii and is…
borsa
1. The bag is inherited from Late Latin bursa (late 4th century), written ⟨byrsa⟩ in learned spelling, from Ancient Greek βύρσα (búrsa, “hide, leather; wineskin”), an obscure technical word. Already…
braccio
It is inherited from Latin brāc(c)hium (“arm; forearm”), borrowed from Ancient Greek βραχίων (brakhíōn, “arm”). Already the ancients explained the Greek word as “the shorter”, a comparative of…
bravo
Its origin is disputed. It is most often explained as inherited from Latin barbarus (“foreign; wild”), from Ancient Greek βάρβαρος (bárbaros, “foreign, non-Greek”). The LEI derives it from a…
calmare
It is a derivative of calma (“calm”), with the verb ending -are. The noun is traced by DELI and Nocentini to Late Latin cauma (“heat”), from Ancient Greek καῦμα (kaûma, “burning heat”), from καίω…
camera
1. The word for a room is inherited from Latin camera (“vault, vaulted ceiling”), from Ancient Greek καμάρα (kamára, “vault; vaulted room”). DELI calls the origin of the Greek word unclear, and…
carta
It is inherited from Latin charta (“sheet of papyrus; writing, letter”), from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs, “leaf of papyrus”), a Greek word of uncertain origin. Latin made it feminine. The word is…
centro
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin centrum (“point of the compasses; centre”), from Ancient Greek κέντρον (kéntron, “goad, sting; point of the compasses; centre of a circle”). The Greek noun…
chiesa
It is inherited from Latin ecclēsia (“assembly; church”), borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “assembly”), from ἐκκαλέω (ekkaléō, “to call out, summon”). The Greek word was the usual…
colpo
It is inherited from Late Latin colpus (“blow”), the form found in the Salic Law (6th century), a contraction of Latin colaphus (“punch, slap”), which is borrowed from Ancient Greek κόλαφος…
cristo
It is borrowed from Latin Christus, the Church Latin name, from Ancient Greek Χριστός (Khristós, “the Anointed”), the noun use of the verbal adjective χριστός (khristós, “anointed”), from χρίω…
ebreo
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin hebraeus, from Ancient Greek Ἑβραῖος (Hebraîos). The Greek word comes from Aramaic עִבְרַי (ʿiḇray), the Aramaic form of Biblical Hebrew עִבְרִי (ʿiḇrī…
episodio
It is a learned word, borrowed from Medieval Latin episodium, from Ancient Greek ἐπεισόδιον (epeisódion, “additional entrance; episode”). The Greek word is the neuter of ἐπεισόδιος (epeisódios…
eroe
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin hērōs (“hero, demigod”), taken from its accusative form. The Latin word is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “hero, deified hero”), whose origin is…
fallo
1. The noun for a fault or error is a deverbal noun of fallare (“to err, to sin”), formed without a suffix, like falla. The verb is inherited from Late Latin fallāre, a verb of the glosses that…
fantastico
It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin phantasticus (“imaginary”), from Ancient Greek φανταστικός (phantastikós), which DELI derives from φαντασία (phantasía), the source of fantasia…
girare
It is inherited from Late Latin gȳrō (“to turn round in a circle”), derived from gȳrus (“circle, ring, turn”), which is from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “circle, ring”). DEI notes that the Latin…
giro
It is inherited from Latin gȳrus (“circle, ring”), from the accusative ⟨gyrum⟩, borrowed from Ancient Greek γῦρος (gûros, “circle”). Devoto traces the Latin word to the language of horsemanship…
magari
It is borrowed from Byzantine Greek μακάρι (makári, “would that, if only”), a Byzantine Greek word recorded in Hesychius in the 5th century. The Greek interjection comes from Ancient Greek μακάριος…
metro
1. The metre of verse is a learned word, borrowed from Latin metrum, from Ancient Greek μέτρον (métron, “measure”), of Indo-European origin. Nocentini derives the Greek word from the root…
parola
It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *paraula, inherited from Late Latin parabola (“parable; word”), from Ancient Greek παραβολή (parabolḗ, “comparison”), a noun of παραβάλλω (parabállō, “to place…
pena
It is inherited from Latin poena (“fine; punishment; suffering”), which Latin had taken from Ancient Greek ποινά (poiná, “compensation, price of blood; penalty”), the Doric form of ποινή (poinḗ)…
pianeta
1. The planet is borrowed from Late Latin planēta, from Ancient Greek πλανήτης (planḗtēs, “wandering, wanderer”), from πλανάω (planáō, “to wander, to stray”). The Greek verb is of uncertain origin…
polizia
It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin polītīa (“political organization, constitution, government”), recorded in the 4th century in Ambrose. The Latin word is from Ancient Greek πολιτεία…
programma
It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin programma (“written notice, posted edict”), from Ancient Greek πρόγραμμα (prógramma, “public notice, edict”), from προγράφω (prográphō, “to write…
rischio
The origin of this word, a common term of trade since the Middle Ages, has long been disputed. The explanation that DELI, Nocentini and GRADIT now favour was set out by Henry and Renée Kahane: it is…
sacco
It is inherited from Latin saccus (“sack, bag”), borrowed from Ancient Greek σάκκος (sákkos, “coarse cloth of hair; sack”), from a Semitic word: Phoenician *šaqq (“coarse cloth, sack”). Nocentini…
scena
It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin scaena (“stage, scene”) (also scēna), from Ancient Greek σκηνή (skēnḗ, “tent; stage”). The origin of the Greek word is uncertain; Nocentini thinks it…
scopo
It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin scŏpus (“target; aim”), recorded in Suetonius. Nocentini instead calls it a modern loan straight from Greek. The Latin word is borrowed from Ancient…
scuola
It is inherited from Latin schŏla (“school”), borrowed from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ, “free time, rest; study; school”). The Greek word first meant “free time, quiet, rest”, then study and…
sistema
It is a learned word, borrowed from Late Latin systēma, from Ancient Greek σύστημα (sústēma, “a gathering, organized whole”). The Greek noun comes from συνίστημι (sunístēmi, “to put together”)…
sistemare
It is formed in from Italian sistema + -are. The noun is borrowed from Late Latin systēma, from Ancient Greek σύστημα (sýstēma, “a whole made of parts; gathering”), from συνίστημι (synístēmi, “to…
tesoro
It is inherited from Latin thēsaurus (“treasure; storehouse”), borrowed from Ancient Greek θησαυρός (thēsaurós, “store, storehouse; treasure”). DEI calls it a semi-learned word. In it the Latin…
tipo
It is borrowed from Latin typus (“figure, image; type”), borrowed from Ancient Greek τύπος (túpos, “blow; impression, mark”), from τύπτω (túptō, “to strike”). Wiktionary traces the verb to…
zia
It is inherited from Late Latin thia (“aunt”), borrowed from Ancient Greek θεία (theía, “aunt”), the feminine of θεῖος (theîos, “uncle”). It is the feminine of zio. The classical word for a father's…
zio
It is inherited from Late Latin thīus (“uncle”), from Ancient Greek θεῖος (theîos, “uncle”). Isidore of Seville, in the 6th–7th century, wrote of the Latin word “Tius Graecum est”, “tius is Greek”…
zona
It is borrowed from Latin zōna (“belt, girdle”), from Ancient Greek ζώνη (zṓnē, “belt, girdle”). The Greek word comes from the root of ζώννυμι (zṓnnumi, “to gird”). It is a learned word. From “belt”…