difficile Italian · revision 37783

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=second half of the 13th century, Panuccio del Bagno|origins=la facilis}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /difˈfi.t͡ʃi.le/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''difficile''' ''m or f'' by sense (plural difficili, superlative difficilissimo)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include [[roa-oit|dificile]], [[roa-oit|deficile]] (Bologna, 1328), [[roa-oit|difficille]] (Verona) and [[roa-oit|diffitille]] (Padua).^(TLIO)^(LEI|20, 371) In Sicily the old form is [[scn|difficili]].^(LEI|20, 371)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a learned word, [[bor|la|difficilis|t=difficult; hard to deal with, surly]], formed from [[m|la|facilis|t=easy]] with the negative prefix [[m|la|dis-]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The vowel /a/ of the base became /i/ in the compound, the normal change in an open medial syllable.^(Devoto 1968|140) The word is learned everywhere in Romance: [[rm|difficil]], [[fr|difficile]] (before 1380), [[ca|difícil]] (13th century, Ramon Llull), [[es|difícil]] and [[pt|difícil]].^(LEI|20, 371)^(Körting 1907) The LEI separates the two senses already found in Latin, “unbending, surly” and “arduous”.^(LEI|20, 371) In southern Italy the form [[nap|disficile]] has its prefix renewed.^(DEI|1296) The rare old superlative [[difficillimo]] is taken from Latin [[m|la|difficillimus]].^(GDLI|4, 390)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in the Pisan poet Panuccio del Bagno, in the second half of the 13th century, in the sense “requiring great effort or skill”.^(TLIO)^(LEI|20, 371) DELI dates the word to Domenico Cavalca, before 1342, and GRADIT to the 14th century.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “surly, hard to get along with” is in Boccaccio's ''Ameto'' (1341–1342) and Cavalca, “arduous” in the ''Decameron'' (about 1370).^(TLIO)^(LEI|20, 371) Over the next centuries the word came to mean “hard to travel” (14th century), “hard to understand” (before 1498, Savonarola), “unlikely” (before 1609) and “full of worries and complications” (before 1540, Guicciardini).^(DELI 1999) Leon Battista Alberti (1437–1448) uses it of a peevish person.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Of a person's taste it means “demanding, hard to please” from 1766 (Alessandro Verri); ''fare il difficile'' “to be fussy” is in a letter of Verdi of 1850, and ''farla difficile'' “to make something out to be harder than it is” is recorded from 1952.^(LEI|20, 371) Francesco Algarotti, before 1764, used it for “sceptical”.^(LEI|20, 371)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Second half of the 13th century – Panuccio del Bagno uses ''difficile''.^(TLIO)

+ * 1328 – Bolognese ''deficile'' is recorded in Jacopo della Lana.^(LEI|20, 371)

+ * 1341–1342 – Boccaccio's ''Ameto'' uses it for a surly person.^(LEI|20, 371)

+ * Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses it for a task that needs effort.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1498 – Savonarola uses it for something hard to understand.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1609 – It is first recorded in the sense “unlikely”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1766 – Alessandro Verri uses it for “hard to please”.^(LEI|20, 371)

+ * 1850 – ''Fare il difficile'' is recorded in Verdi.^(LEI|20, 371)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|difficult]], hard: requiring effort, attention or skill: ''Il percorso è difficile da completare in un giorno.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Hard to understand, [[m|en|obscure]], complicated: ''un saggio difficile''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Full of hardship or trouble, critical: ''Abbiamo passato mesi difficili.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Of a road or place, hard to travel, dangerous.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Of a person, hard to get along with, [[m|en|surly]]; demanding, [[m|en|fussy]]: ''un insegnante difficile''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Of a child or young person, troubled, needing special care or education.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # [[m|en|unlikely]]: ''È difficile che piova stasera.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(il difficile)'' The difficult part, the problem: ''Il difficile è cominciare.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # A person who is hard to please, ''fare il difficile'', to be fussy.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[difficoltà]]

+ * [[difficoltoso]]

+ * [[difficilmente]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[facile]]

+ * [[la|difficilis]]

+ * [[fr|difficile]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}