italicum

Italicum is a term with multiple uses in different fields, most notably in linguistics and Italian politics.

In linguistic and classical contexts, italicum is the neuter form of the Latin adjective italicus, meaning “Italic” or “of the Italic languages.” It is encountered in scholarly Latin phrases describing features of the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family, which includes Latin, Oscan, Umbrian, and Faliscan. In modern academic usage, the term Italicum as a standalone label is uncommon; scholars typically use the names of the individual languages or the broader term “Italic.”

In Italian politics, Italicum refers to a proposed electoral reform law introduced by the government of Matteo Renzi in 2014–2015. The law aimed to simplify the Italian electoral system for the Chamber of Deputies and to produce more stable governments by providing a majority mechanism for the leading list that achieved a specified threshold of votes. The Italicum was controversial for its perceived potential to distort proportional representation and to concentrate power. It was approved by Parliament in 2015 but was subsequently challenged in the Constitutional Court, which ruled parts of it unconstitutional in 2016. After the ruling, the Italicum framework was effectively superseded, and a new electoral law, Rosatellum, was enacted in 2017 to govern subsequent national elections.