Criterio: deciding what matters before choosing

What are we asking when we tell someone to choose con criterio? The Italian word comes through Latin criterium from Greek kritérion, related to the verb krínō, to distinguish and judge. This is the relationship documented by dictionaries. It offers a starting point for understanding the word, without turning an ancient root into a formula that automatically solves decisions today. [1][2]

At least two ideas coexist in Italian usage. A criterio can be the rule by which we assess something: a selection criterion, for instance. Avere criterio can instead mean having judgement or common sense. In the first case, we ask which rule is being used; in the second, we describe a quality attributed to a person. These meanings are close, but carelessly substituting one for the other can make a discussion unclear. [2]

A concrete example comes from the digital project devoted to Filippo Baldinucci, managed by Accademia della Crusca and Fondazione Memofonte. Its transcription criteria explain which features of historical editions to preserve and which to bring into modern usage. For some editions, historical spellings are retained, for example, while accents and apostrophes are updated. These are declared choices: readers can understand how the text has been treated, rather than imagining a reproduction without editorial intervention. [3]

Now place the word in an example invented by the editors. We need to choose a box for a low shelf, and have three in different colours and sizes. Saying choose the best leaves the essential question open: best for what purpose? If it must fit on the shelf, a first criterion is a height compatible with the available space. Measure the boxes and the shelf. We might love a colour, but it does not answer the question about dimensions. [1]

Continue the editorial example: two boxes both fit. We can add a second rule, such as choosing the one that holds all the notebooks we need to store, or preferring a colour. Stating the order avoids pretending that every characteristic carries equal weight. We have not discovered the best box in absolute terms; we have made a choice understandable for this task. Another person, with a different shelf or other objects to store, might use different criteria without contradicting us. [2]

Etymology, finally, does not certify that a rule is sound. Even a stated criterion can be poorly suited to its purpose: choosing the yellow box alone does not guarantee that it fits on the shelf. The linguistic sources trace the word through Latin and Greek; they do not tell a story of one sage suddenly inventing an infallible method. The word's history and the quality of a judgement remain two questions to examine separately. [1][2]