esercito Italian · revision 38398

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=mid-13th century, Miracole de Roma|origins=la exerceō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /eˈzɛr.t͡ʃi.to/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''esercito''' ''m'' (plural eserciti)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include [[roa-oit|essercito]], [[roa-oit|exercito]], [[roa-oit|ezercito]] and [[roa-oit|sercito|alt='sercito]].^(TLIO)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) The ⟨ss⟩ of ''essercito'' is the Old Tuscan rendering of Latin ⟨x⟩.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a learned word, [[bor|la|exercitus]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The Latin noun first meant “exercise”, then “military exercise”, and so “the soldiers gathered for the exercise or review”, and at last an army.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI) Isidore of Seville already explained it so: “Exercitus multitudo ex uno genere, ab exercitatione belli vocata” (an army is a multitude of one kind, named from the exercise of war).^(GDLI) It is formed from [[m|la|exerceō|t=to keep busy, exercise, train]], the source of [[esercire]], with the suffix of action nouns [[m|la|-tus]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) The same Latin word is [[es|ejército]] and [[pt|exército]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Körting 1907)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is the Roman ''Miracole de Roma'', of the mid-13th century;^(TLIO)^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) DELI's first date is Bono Giamboni, before 1292, for “the men of a state trained, organised and equipped to fight”.^(TLIO)^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Giamboni's version of Vegetius explains the new word: “L'oste che di pedoni e cavalieri è mescolata per lettera si chiama esercito” (the host that is mixed of foot and horse is called, in Latin, ''esercito'').^(GDLI)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 13th century the usual word for an army was [[oste]].^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) Bruno Migliorini, after Ferdinando Maggini, showed that ''esercito'' came into use around 1300, written ''exercito'' and pronounced ''essercito'', at first more for “a multitude” than for an army: three of the four examples in the ''Divina Commedia'' mean “crowd, multitude”.^(DELI 1999) Only in the course of the 14th century, first in prose and then in verse, did the word spread in its present sense.^(DELI 1999) The TLIO records religious senses too: the Christian people, and the hosts of angels.^(TLIO)

+

+ Modern usage sets the army, the land forces, against the navy and the air force.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011) Religious language has the ''Esercito della Salvezza'', the Salvation Army, and the figurative sense “great number” is alive, as in ''un esercito di creditori''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Mid-13th century – The ''Miracole de Roma'' has the first record.^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses the word for an army.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses it mostly for a multitude of people.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th century – The military sense spreads, first in prose and then in poetry.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # An [[m|en|army]], a body of troops organised in ranks under one command: ''L'esercito di Napoleone attraversò le Alpi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # The [[m|en|armed forces]] of a state.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # The land forces, as distinct from the [[marina|alt=navy]] and the air force: ''Mio cugino si è arruolato nell'esercito.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(religion)'' The body of Christians, the Church militant, ''Esercito della Salvezza'', the [[m|en|Salvation Army]].^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(figurative)'' A great number of people, animals or things: ''Un esercito di turisti ha invaso la piazza.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[esercitale]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[esercitare]]

+ * [[esercizio]]

+ * [[esercire]]

+ * [[la|exercitus]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Esercito'' is stressed on the second syllable, ''esèrcito'', with a voiced ⟨s⟩.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Prati 1951|409) GRADIT and the GDLI also have ''esercito'' as the past participle of ''esercire'' “to run (a business)”;^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI) Camillo Sbarbaro writes of a shop of devotional objects “esercito dalla suora” (run by the nun).^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}