quale Italian · revision 37665

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Memoria d'un cambio di terra|origins=la quālis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈkwa.le/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''quale''' ''m or f'' by sense (plural quali)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|quālis|t=of what kind]], from the accusative ⟨quālem⟩.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The word is pan-Romance: [[fr|quel]], [[oc|cal]], [[es|cual]], [[pt|qual]], [[sc|cale]] and [[ro|care]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|3169)

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+ In Latin it was the correlative of [[m|la|tālis|t=such]], and it belongs with the interrogative [[m|la|quis|t=who]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968|356) Nocentini compares [[grc|πηλίκος|tr=pēlíkos|t=how old, how large]] and Lithuanian ⟨kõl⟩ “how long”.^(Nocentini 2010) Wiktionary traces it to [[itc-pro|*kʷālis]], perhaps formed with an ⟨-l-⟩ suffix on the interrogative and relative stem [[ine-pro|*kʷo-]].^(Wiktionary)^(Devoto 1968|356)

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+ Learned derivatives came through Latin [[m|la|quālitās]], which Cicero coined to render [[grc|ποιότης|tr=poiótēs]], giving Italian [[qualità]].^(DELI 1999) Of the compounds, [[qualora]], [[qualsiasi]] and [[qualsivoglia]] add the words for “now, when”, “may it be” and “one may wish”, while [[qualunque]] follows the model of [[chiunque]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's earliest record is the ''Memoria d'un cambio di terra'' of the late 12th century, where ''quale'' is a relative pronoun, “who, which”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The interrogative adjective is in Giacomo da Lentini before 1250, the relative “such as” in Bono Giamboni before 1292, the exclamative in Jacopone da Todi before 1306, and the interrogative pronoun in the ''Novellino'' (late 13th century).^(DELI 1999) Dante also used ''il quale'' as a noun, “the quality”, beside ''il chi'' “the who”;^(DELI 1999)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861|3, 1365) his simile “Quali colombe dal disio chiamate” (as doves called by desire) shows the literary use of ''quale'' for “as, like”.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

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+ In 14th- and 15th-century Florence the word could stand for ''come'' “how”, as in Giovanni Fiorentino and Leon Battista Alberti, and Old Pistoiese used it for ''chi'' “who”.^(DEI|3169) The old plural forms ''quai'' and ''qua’'' have fallen out of use.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861|3, 1363) The adverbial use “in the capacity of” (''quale testimone'' “as a witness”) is recorded from 1893.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – The ''Memoria d'un cambio di terra'' uses ''quale'' as a relative pronoun.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses it as an interrogative.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1306 – Jacopone da Todi uses it in exclamations.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses ''il quale'' as a noun, “quality”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th–15th century – Florentine writers use it for “how”.^(DEI|3169)

+ * 1893 – The use “in the capacity of” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Determiner===

+ # ''(interrogative)'' [[m|en|which]], [[m|en|what]], asking about the kind, identity or nature of something, in direct and indirect questions: ''Quale autobus devo prendere?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(exclamative)'' What (a): ''Quale fortuna incontrarti!''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(relative)'' Such as, like, often paired with ''tale''; also introducing examples: ''un grande porto, quale Genova''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # ''(interrogative)'' Which one: ''Ci sono due torte: quale vuoi?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(relative, with the article)'' Who, which, that, a more formal alternative to ''che'' and ''cui'': ''la collega alla quale ho scritto''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(DELI 1999)

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+ ===Adverb===

+ # As, in the capacity of: ''Fu chiamato quale esperto.''^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Word family==

+ * [[qualche]]

+ * [[qualcuno]]

+ * [[qualora]]

+ * [[qualsiasi]]

+ * [[qualsivoglia]]

+ * [[qualunque]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[qualità]]

+ * [[tale]]

+ * [[chi]]

+ * [[la|qualis]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Before a vowel, and especially before forms of ''essere'', ''quale'' is truncated, not elided, so it is written without an apostrophe: ''qual è''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) In speech the interrogative and exclamative are often replaced by ''che''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Fixed phrases include ''tale e quale'' “exactly the same” and ''non so quale'' “some … or other”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}