Italian dictionary will now include feminine forms

The Italian publisher Treccani will change how it lists nouns and adjectives in the next edition of its Dizionario della Lingua Italiana (Dictionary of the Italian Language), due to come out in October. Previous editions have followed the traditional practice of listing nouns and adjectives under only the masculine form of the head word. The new edition will list both the masculine and feminine forms.

What’s more, it will list them in alphabetical order. So, for the many nouns and adjectives ending in the suffix -a (for the feminine) and -o (for the masculine), alphabetical order will put the feminine form first. Some of the many feminine forms to be listed for the first time are bella (beautiful), soldata (soldier), architetta (architect), notaia (notary), medica (doctor) and chirurga (surgeon).

According to a report on the site Wanted in Rome, the new edition will also list masculine forms of words for occupations previously considered wholly or mainly the preserve of women. For example, alongside casalinga (housewife) will now appear the masculine form casalingo. https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/italian-dictionary-treccani-embraces-gender-equality-in-major-change.html

Sources

Publisher’s site: https://www.treccani.it/catalogo/catalogo_prodotti/la_lingua_italiana/il_vocabolario_treccani.html

Report in the Italian press: https://www.corriere.it/cronache/22_settembre_12/treccani-inserisce-vocabolario-architetta-notaia-medica-soldata-c7f2b7bc-327d-11ed-aa4e-c1e08594c6e6.shtml?refresh_ce

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