ovvio Italian · revision 38219

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=14th century, Boccaccio (“going to meet”); 1672, Paolo Segneri|origins=la via}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈɔv.vjo/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ovvio''' (feminine ovvia, masculine plural ovvi, feminine plural ovvie)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a learned word, [[bor|la|obvius|t=in the way, meeting; easy, ordinary]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The adjective was drawn from [[m|la|obviam|t=towards, to meet]], the phrase [[m|la|ob|t=towards, against]] [[m|la|via|alt=viam|t=the road]], “in front of the road”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968) Battaglia adds that it was formed like [[m|la|dēvius]] and [[m|la|pervius]], and Nocentini traces [[ovviare]] to the same phrase.^(GDLI|12, 304)^(Nocentini 2010) The same Latin word gave [[es|obvio]].^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Boccaccio already uses the word in its Latin sense “going to meet”: “Lia riverente s’alzò ovvia a quelle ninfe” (“Lia rose respectfully to meet those nymphs”).^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(DEI|2710) DELI dates the modern sense, “that comes to mind naturally”, to Paolo Segneri in 1672.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Segneri wrote of suggesting the remedies “that are at least the most ''ovvi''”, the readiest at hand, and Anton Maria Salvini used it for what is common and trivial.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(GDLI|12, 304) The spelling ''obvio'' is recorded but has fallen out of use.^(GDLI|12, 304) In modern Italian the word is used above all for what is self-evident, and for what is banal or predictable;^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''ovvio!'' alone is an answer meaning “of course”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) The noun ''ovvietà'' is first recorded in Carlo Emilio Gadda in 1957.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 14th century – Boccaccio uses ''ovvia'' in the sense “going to meet”.^(DEI|2710)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+ * 1672 – Paolo Segneri uses it for what comes readily to mind.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1957 – ''Ovvietà'' appears in Carlo Emilio Gadda.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|obvious|alt=Obvious]], evident at once and leaving no room for doubt, often in ''è ovvio che'': ''È ovvio che non posso venire.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # [[m|en|banal|alt=Banal]], predictable, lacking originality: ''una battuta piuttosto ovvia''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' As an answer, “of course”: ''«Vieni con noi?» «Ovvio!»''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Going to meet someone.^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ovviamente]]

+ * [[ovvietà]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ovviare]]

+ * [[via]]

+ * [[la|obvius]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The masculine plural is ''ovvi'', rarely ''ovvii''.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}