curiosi

Curiosi is a linguistic term that appears as a masculine plural form in both Latin and Italian. In these languages, curiosi functions as the plural form of an adjective meaning “curious,” and can also occur as a noun phrase referring to people who are curious.

In Latin, curiosus means “careful, meticulous, inquisitive, curious,” and curiosi is the nominative plural used to describe or designate “the curious ones.” It is typically found in inscriptions or narrative passages where a group is identified by their curiosity rather than as a standalone legal or scientific term.

In Italian, curiosi is the masculine plural of curioso. It is used to describe people who are curious, and the feminine plural is curiose. The singular forms are curioso (m) and curiosa (f). In Italian prose and speech, curiosi commonly appears as a straightforward adjective or as a plural noun referring to a group of curious people.

Etymology traces both forms to the Latin root cura “care,” with the suffix -osus in Latin producing curiosus meaning “full of care, full of curiosity,” and the same root giving the Italian curioso. While curio­si is not a distinct English term, it appears in scholarly discussions of Latin or Italian grammar and in quoted texts from those languages.

See also: curiosity, curios, Wunderkammer, lexicon.