giù Italian · revision 38011

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1300–1313, Dante|origins=la vertō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈd͡ʒu/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|roa-oit|giuso]] in a shortened form, [[inh|la-lat|iūsum|t=downwards]], which replaced classical [[la|deorsum]] in later Latin.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) DELI dates the Late Latin form to the 3rd century, to Tertullian.^(DELI 1999) Prati and the LEI explain the vowel of the Late Latin variants [[m|la-lat|iōsum]] and [[m|la-lat|iūsum]] by the influence of their opposite [[m|la-lat|sūsum|t=upwards]], from classical [[la|sursum]].^(Prati 1951|508)^(LEI|19, 1153) Prati thinks the final syllable was lost because the word was so often used before other words.^(Prati 1951|508) Sabatini–Coletti and the GDLI also describe the word as an apocopated form of the older adverb.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GDLI|6, 855)

+

+ The Latin adverb survives across the Romance languages: forms like the Old Italian [[m|roa-oit|gioso]], [[oc|jos]], [[ca|jos]], [[sc|giòssu]] and [[ro|jos]] go back to the classical adverb, and forms like [[fro|jus]] and [[osp|yuso]] to the later variant.^(Nocentini 2010)^(LEI|19, 1153)^(REW 1935) A shortened form like the Italian one is also [[fur|jù]].^(LEI|19, 1153)

+

+ The classical [[m|la|deorsum]] is a compound meaning “turned downwards”, from [[m|la|dē-]] and [[m|la|vorsum]], the archaic form of the participle of [[m|la|vertō|t=to turn]], with the loss of /w/ and the shortening of the first of two vowels in hiatus.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Dante's ''Commedia'' (1300–1313), with the sense “down, downwards”.^(DELI 1999) The ''Inferno'' has “così discesi del cerchio primaio / giù nel secondo” (so I went down from the first circle into the second), and the ''Purgatorio'' the older form ''giue''.^(GDLI|6, 855)^(Prati 1951|508) The full form ''giuso'' appears in Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarch, and DEI places the word in the 13th century.^(Prati 1951|508)^(DEI|1817)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Italian ''giù'' and ''giuso'' were used side by side, and in the north the forms ran from ''zoso'' and ''çoso'' to ''gioso'';^(LEI|19, 1153)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Milanese ''zoso'' is in Bonvesin de la Riva (before 1315).^(LEI|19, 1153)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) ''Giuso'' later became archaic, and ''giù'' is now one of the fundamental words of the language.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ The adverb forms many compounds and phrases: ''laggiù'', ''quaggiù'', ''all'ingiù'' (Boccaccio) and ''suppergiù'' “roughly” are all old.^(Prati 1951|508)^(Nocentini 2010) Verbal phrases such as ''buttare giù'' “to knock down; to swallow”, ''mandare giù'' “to swallow; to put up with” and ''tirare giù'' “to take down” have figurative senses, and ''giù di lì'' means “thereabouts”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020) After ''e'' it marks something coming in abundance, and on its own it is an order to come down or lower something.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) The adjective ''giù'' “low, depressed” is used with ''essere'' and ''sentirsi''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 3rd century – Late Latin ''iusum'' is recorded in Tertullian.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses ''giù'' for “down”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1315 – Milanese ''zoso'' appears in Bonvesin de la Riva.^(LEI|19, 1153)

+ * Before 1375 – Boccaccio writes ''all'ingiù''.^(Prati 1951|508)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|down]], [[m|en|below]]: downwards or in a lower place, with verbs of motion and of rest: ''Scendo giù a prendere il pane.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Downstairs, on the floor below or in the street: ''I bambini aspettano giù in cortile.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # Without a verb, as an order to come down or lower something: ''giù le mani!'' “hands off!”^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # After ''e'', to stress that something comes thick and fast: ''E giù risate per tutta la sera.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Repeated, ''giù giù'', for a steady movement down or back in time: ''La storia della famiglia risale giù giù fino al Seicento.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''giù di lì'': [[m|en|thereabouts]], more or less: ''Avrà trent'anni o giù di lì.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Low, [[m|en|depressed]], in poor shape: ''Da quando ha perso il lavoro è molto giù.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[laggiù]]

+ * [[quaggiù]]

+ * [[ingiù]]

+ * [[suppergiù]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[su]]

+ * [[la|deorsum]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Giù'' is the opposite of ''su''.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) In Tuscan it doubles the first consonant of the next word.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Fixed phrases include ''su e giù'' “up and down; back and forth”, ''su per giù'' “roughly”, ''giù di corda'' “out of sorts” and ''mandare giù il rospo'' “to swallow an insult”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}