What is the difference between "bisnipoti" and "pronipoti"? Do they mean the same?
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3Yes, they mean the same: Pronipote: Figlio o figlia di un nipote o di una nipote, sinonimo di bisnipote (dizionari.corriere.it/dizionario_italiano/P/pronipote.shtml).– HachiJul 13, 2020 at 17:22
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2Note that pronipote is also figuratively used to indicate the descendants of a family or dynasty.– HachiJul 13, 2020 at 17:26
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1Can you write all this as an answer, please, @Hachi?– Charo ♦Jul 13, 2020 at 17:32
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1Quite curiously, the Sabatini-Coletti proposes 14th century for bisnipote and 17th century for bisnonno.– egreg ♦Jul 14, 2020 at 9:28
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1@Charo - capisco ma questa domanda è veramente too basic. Basta consultare un dizionario. Per cui off-topic.– HachiJul 14, 2020 at 18:26
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1 Answer
I see bisnipote attested from the 14th century and bisnonno from the 17th, which I find quite interesting and curious; pronipote is attested from the 15th century. (Source: Sabatini-Coletti.)
A bisnipote is usually a grandson's or granddaughter's child (in direct descent), whereas pronipote can also be used in extended meaning as a descendant of a collateral line. Somebody can be pronipote of a prozio: at some point the two have an ancestor in common with more than three steps. Two steps would make the two people cugini, three steps zio/zia and nipote. On the other hand, it's common in Italy to call cugini two people having in common a grandmother/grandfather.
Prozio/prozia is, according to the same dictionary, a mother's or father's uncle/aunt (17th century), but it's also used with more generations in between. However, if I had to address my mother's uncle, I'd simply use zio: prozio and, similarly, pronipote are rather formal and used for speaking of the person, not to the person.
Note that in Italian there is no distinction between granddaughter/grandson and nephew/niece: both are nipote.
