taxi Italian · revision 38978

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing, clipping|attested=1914, Ardengo Soffici|origins=fr taximètre}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈtak.si/, /tasˈsi/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''taxi''' ''m''^(Wiktionary)

+ The adapted spelling is [[tassì]] (1935).^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010) In Rome the forms ''tassi'' and popular ''tassine'' were used.^(Prati 1951)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|taxi]], recorded in French in 1906, a shortening of [[m|fr|taximètre|t=taximeter]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) The meter's name came to stand for the car fitted with it.^(Nocentini 2010) The French compound was proposed in 1904 by Salomon Reinach in place of [[m|fr|taxamètre]], which was about to come into use in Paris: ⟨taxa-⟩ made a hybrid of Latin and Greek, while ⟨taxi-⟩ took up [[grc|τάξις|tr=táxis|t=order; fixing of a tax]] and made the compound wholly Greek.^(DELI 1999) Sabatini and Coletti derive the older form from [[de|Taxameter]].^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ Nocentini sees ⟨tassì⟩ as the older Italian form and ⟨taxi⟩ as reintroduced later with the English pronunciation /ˈtaksi/.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ GRADIT and Devoto–Oli date the word to 1914, when Ardengo Soffici wrote in ''Lacerba'' of “the taxi that cannot be found”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) DELI's first record is Panzini's dictionary of 1918.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Panzini's 1935 dictionary accepted the adapted form ''tassì'' and also recorded ''taxi-girl'', a girl paid by a dance hall to dance with customers.^(DELI 1999) The driver became ''taxista'' (1936) and later ''tassista'' (1955), and Roman speech made ''tassinaro'' (1954) on the model of ''benzinaro''.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Writers of the 20th century, from Pirandello to Gadda, use both ''taxi'' and ''tassì''.^(GDLI|20, 779) Newer compounds include the ''taxi collettivo'', shared by several passengers, and the ''taxi aereo'', a small hired aircraft.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1904 – Salomon Reinach proposes French ''taximètre''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1906 – French ''taxi'' is recorded.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1914 – Ardengo Soffici uses ''taxi'' in ''Lacerba''.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1918 – Panzini's dictionary records ''taxi''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1935 – Panzini records ''tassì'' and ''taxi-girl''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1955 – ''Tassista'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|taxi]], a car with a [[m|en|taximeter]] that carries passengers for a fare: ''Abbiamo preso un taxi per tornare in albergo.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''Taxi aereo'': a small aircraft hired for passenger flights, also [[aerotaxi]].^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[taxista]]

+ * [[taxi-girl]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[tassì]]

+ * [[tassista]]

+ * [[tassametro]]

+ * [[tassinaro]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}