ciò Italian · revision 37641

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 1249, Pier della Vigna|origins=la ecce, la hic}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈt͡ʃɔ/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ciò''' (invariable, singular only)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ Old forms include ''cioe'' and ''cione''.^(GDLI)^(Prati 1951|294)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*ecce hoc|t=look, this]], a phrase of [[la|ecce|t=look!, here is]] and [[m|la|hoc|t=this]], the neuter of [[m|la|hic]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)^(DEI|949) The same phrase gave [[fro|ço]] (modern [[fr|ce]]), [[ca|açò]] and southern Italian forms such as Sicilian [[m|scn|nzò]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary)^(DEI|949) Old French, Occitan and Old Catalan also kept the simple ⟨hoc⟩, as ⟨o⟩.^(DEI|949)

+

+ Latin ⟨ecce⟩ combines Proto-Italic ⟨*ek⟩ and ⟨*ke⟩, built on the pronoun [[ine-pro|*h₁e-]] and the particle [[ine-pro|*-ḱe|t=here]].^(de Vaan 2008) The pronoun ⟨hic⟩ comes from a deictic stem ⟨*ǵʰe/o-⟩, also with ⟨*-ḱe⟩.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is in Pier della Vigna, before 1249: ''E faria ciò ch'eo dico'' “and I would do what I say”, in the sense “this, that thing”.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Italian ''ciò'' could also refer to several things or to persons, especially with ''essere'': Dante writes ''Vere sustanze son ciò che tu vedi'' “what you see are real substances” (''Paradiso'' 3), and ''ciò sono'' or ''ciò era'' meant “that is”.^(GDLI)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) Combined with other words it formed a series of conjunctions and adverbs: ''perciò'' in Dante, ''acciocché'' in the ''Novellino'', ''cioè'' in Domenico Cavalca.^(Prati 1951|294)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ In Tuscany ''ciò'' doubles the following consonant.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1249 – Pier della Vigna uses ''ciò''.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+ * 13th century – ''Acciocché'' is first recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 16th century – ''Sopracciò'' “overseer” is first recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # This, that (thing), always neuter, often referring to a whole statement: ''Ciò mi sorprende.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Followed by the relative ''che'', [[m|en|what]], that which: ''Fai ciò che vuoi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # In set phrases: ''con ciò'' “with that, therefore”, ''con tutto ciò'' and ''ciò nonostante'' “nevertheless”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(archaic)'' With ''essere'', “that is, namely”, now written ''cioè''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[cioè]]

+ * [[perciò]]

+ * [[acciocché]]

+ * [[ciononostante]]

+ * [[sopracciò]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ecco]]

+ * [[questo]]

+ * [[fr|ce]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In Venetian and nearby dialects ''ciò'' is an interjection, “look!, listen!”, from the imperative of ''tor'' “to take”.^(Cortelazzo & Marcato 1998)^(DEI|949)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}