Italophone
/ˌɪtələˈfoʊn/noun
Relating to Italian-speaking people, communities, or regions.
Did you know?The suffix “-phone” comes from Ancient Greek phōnē, meaning “voice” or “sound,” long before it became associated with modern telephones and recording technology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
phōnē (φωνή)
“Voice, sound, or spoken utterance”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Italía (Ἰταλία)
“Italy; a name whose deeper origin is traditionally connected with an Italic word for “calf,” though the derivation remains debated”
Classical Latin
Latin
Italia
“Italy”
19th Century
French
italophone
“Italian-speaking; formed from Italo- (“Italian”) and -phone (“speaker” or “voice”) in the pattern of other language labels”
20th Century
English
Italophone
“A person or community that speaks Italian, or something associated with Italian-speaking populations”
Modern English
English
Italophone
“Relating to Italian-speaking people, communities, or regions”