sbaglio Italian · revision 38345

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1666, Francesco Redi}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈzbaʎ.ʎo/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sbaglio''' ''m'' (plural sbagli)^(Wiktionary)

+ An older form with a prop vowel, ''isbaglio'', survives in the disused phrase ''per isbaglio''.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a noun formed from the verb [[sbagliare|t=to make a mistake]] with the ending [[m|it|-o]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The verb is probably [[abbagliare|t=to dazzle]] with its prefix replaced by [[m|it|s-]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003) Nocentini notes that it first appeared, about 1440, in the reflexive form, meaning “to be deceived by a false impression”.^(Nocentini 2010) The base of the verb meaning “to dazzle” is that of [[bagliore|t=glare, flash]], whose origin is disputed: Nocentini derives it from [[la-vul|*balius]], from [[grc|βαλιός|tr=baliós|t=dappled with white]], while the LEI, as DELI reports, prefers a pre-Roman word for “shining”, perhaps Celtic.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is in Francesco Redi, in 1666, for the act of making a mistake.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) In his notes to the ''Bacco in Toscana'' he writes of another author “parmi che egli prendesse uno sbaglio” (it seems to me he made a mistake).^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense of a moral fault is recorded before 1750 in Lodovico Antonio Muratori.^(DELI 1999) Tommaseo distinguished the word from its neighbours: an ''errore'' is usually more than a ''sbaglio'', which may come from haste or a moment's distraction, while a ''sproposito'' comes from thoughtlessness joined with ignorance.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) He also records a rarer sense “difference”, in Fagiuoli's line “da un grillo a me v'è poco sbaglio” (there is little difference between a cricket and me).^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ The phrase ''per isbaglio'', “by mistake”, is found in Vincenzo Borghini and Carducci, and the GDLI also records the noun for a postal mix-up.^(GDLI|17, 625) Today ''sbaglio'' covers mistakes in doing something or in speaking and writing, errors of judgment, mix-ups of one person or thing for another, and faults of conduct.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * About 1440 – The verb ''sbagliare'' is first recorded, in the reflexive form.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 1666 – Francesco Redi uses ''sbaglio''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * Before 1750 – Lodovico Antonio Muratori uses it for a moral fault.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|mistake]] made in doing something, in a calculation, or in speaking or writing: ''Ho trovato tre sbagli nella tua traduzione.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # An error of [[m|en|judgment]]; an unwise choice: ''È stato uno sbaglio fidarmi di lui.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # A [[m|en|mix-up]] of one person or thing for another: ''Scusi, è stato uno sbaglio: cercavo un altro numero.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # A moral fault, usually not a grave one: ''Ha pagato caro uno sbaglio di gioventù.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[sbagliare]]

+ * [[abbagliare]]

+ * [[abbaglio]]

+ * [[bagliore]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Per sbaglio'' means “by mistake, unintentionally”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) The GDLI records a separate, obsolete ''sbaglio'' “hiccup, yawn”, formed from ''sbadigliare'' by haplology.^(GDLI|17, 625)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}