paio Italian · revision 37822

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited, back-formation|attested=1231–1262, Ricordi di una famiglia senese|origins=la pār}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈpa.jo/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''paio''' ''m'' (plural paia f)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The singular was made in Italian from the plural ⟨paia⟩, which is [[inh|la|pār|alt=paria|t=pairs]], the neuter plural of the adjective meaning “equal”, used as a noun.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Early medieval documents already have [[la-med|pair]] (907, Parma) and [[m|la-med|parium]] (921, Naples).^(DEI|2723) DEI calls the singular in ⟨-io⟩ an Italian innovation, little used in the dialects: the other Romance languages have [[fro|per]], [[oc|par]], [[ca|par]], [[es|par]] and [[pt|par]], and the north of Italy has forms of the type ⟨par⟩, as [[vec|pèr]] in Venice and Trieste.^(DEI|2723)^(Nocentini 2010) Devoto calls it the Tuscan form beside non-Tuscan [[paro]].^(Devoto 1968)^(Nocentini 2010) [[fr|paire]] continues the same Latin word, which also passed into [[de|Paar]].^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The origin of the Latin adjective is unclear: de Vaan compares [[xum|pars|t=(it is) prescribed]] but finds no good etymology.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in the ''Ricordi di una famiglia senese'' (1231–1262), for a couple of things, persons or animals.^(DELI 1999) GRADIT dates it to 1262.^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Beside a pair of matching things, the word came to mean a single object made of two parts that cannot be separated, such as scissors, trousers or glasses, and, loosely, a small number of about two.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011) The plural is feminine, ''le paia''; the older plural ''para'' is still found in Goldoni: “due para d'occhiali” (two pairs of spectacles).^(Wiktionary)^(Zingarelli 2010) The derivatives ''appaiare'' (before 1321) and ''spaiare'' (17th century) were formed in Italian.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 907 – Medieval Latin ''pair'' is recorded at Parma.^(DEI|2723)

+ * 1231–1262 – ''Paio'' appears in the ''Ricordi di una famiglia senese''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – ''Appaiare'' is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|pair]], two things, persons or animals of the same kind that belong together: ''un paio di stivali'', ''Ha comprato un paio di conigli.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A single object made of two joined parts: ''un paio di pinze'', ''un paio di jeans''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A [[m|en|couple]], two or a few: ''Torno fra un paio di settimane.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[appaiare]]

+ * [[spaiare]]

+ * [[appaiamento]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[pari]]

+ * [[paro]]

+ * [[coppia]]

+ * [[la|pār]]

+ * [[fr|paire]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Un altro paio di maniche'' “another pair of sleeves” means a quite different matter, and ''fare il paio'' is said, often disparagingly, of two persons or things that are alike.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) The non-Tuscan variant ''paro'' is used in its shortened form ''par'' in phrases such as ''un par d'ore'' “a couple of hours”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Paio'' is also the first person singular present of ''parere'' “to seem”.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}