identici

Identici is the masculine plural form of the Italian adjective identico, meaning identical or the same. It agrees with masculine plural nouns, while the feminine plural form is identiche. The term comes from Latin identicus, related to identitas and the broader concept of identity. In Italian, identico and identici convey exact sameness rather than mere similarity.

Usage and examples: Identici describes objects, persons, or concepts that are indistinguishable in form, value, or identity. Examples include due oggetti identici (two identical objects), due modelli identici (two identical models), and gemelli identici (identical twins). The usual word order places the noun before the adjective, as in i due oggetti identici; aber una versione with the adjective before the noun can be found for emphasis in some registers, but the standard form is after the noun.

Nuance and distinctions: Identico expresses exact sameness, stronger than simile (similar) and often sharper than uguale (equal). In everyday Italian, uguale is common for arithmetic equality or general equivalence, while identico stresses a perfect likeness. In technical or scientific contexts, one might prefer identico to denote absolute identity, though uguale remains widespread in precise statements.

Feminine forms and related terms: The feminine plural form is identiche, used with feminine nouns (e.g., due cose identiche). Related terms include identità (identity) and identico as an adjective in broader phrases like identico a se stesso (identical to itself).

See also: identità, identico, uguale, simile.