addirizzare

Forms

addirizzare (first-person singular present addirìzzo, first-person singular past historic addirizzài, past participle addirizzàto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian a- + dirizzare, with the reinforcing prefix, and dates from the 13th century.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} Wiktionary and Treccani trace it instead to a Vulgar Latin *addīrēctiāre, and Treccani adds a Medieval Latin addretiare.^[1][7] Körting likewise set up a Latin verb meaning “to direct towards” as the source of both the Italian word and French adresser.^[8]

The base verb is from Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre (“to set in a straight line”), formed on Latin dīrēctus (“straight”), the past participle of dīrigō.^[3][9] The LEI infers this Vulgar Latin verb from Old Spanish adereçar (“to put in order”), Logudorese adderettare (“to straighten”) and the Italian verb, and sets beside the full form a syncopated type found in Romansh drizzar, Old French drecer, French dresser, Old Occitan dreçar and Catalan drezar, to which Italian drizzare belongs.^[9]

In the literary senses “to direct” and, reflexively, “to turn to someone”, Treccani and the GDLI see the influence of the French verb.^[7][10] DEI lists these senses (“to dedicate”, “to apply to someone”) under a separate heading, as an adaptation of the French word.^[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Brunetto Latini's Rettorica (Florence, about 1260–1261), and its first sense is “to send or turn something in a given direction”, also reflexively “to head for, to turn towards”.^[12] DELI dates the sense “to straighten” from Guittone d'Arezzo, who died in 1294.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian already used the verb widely: of the road one takes, of the hand pointed at someone, of the sails set to the wind, of thoughts and words turned to a subject, and morally of guiding a person on the right way; the physical sense “to set upright, straighten” and the figurative “to lift someone's spirits” came beside them.^[12] Matteo Villani writes of envoys sent to Siena to set right a wrong (addirizzare questo torto).^[10]

Later records add technical and regional uses: a Tuscan sense “to rebuild” a fallen dry-stone wall (1734), and the nouns addirizzatoio, a metal tool for parting the hair (before 1729, Salvini), and addirizzatura, the parting itself (Tommaseo 1863).^[9] In Neapolitan, adderezzarse i capille means “to be horrified”, of hair standing on end.^[9]

Today the verb is uncommon in its literal sense, where raddrizzare is the usual word, and literary in the sense “to direct”.^[6][4][5] GRADIT records it only as a variant of addrizzare.^[13]

Timeline

• c. 1260–1261 – Brunetto Latini's Rettorica has the first record, in the sense “to direct”.^[12]
• Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses it for “to straighten”.^[2]
• 1313 – Florentine adirizare means “to straighten (a stooping body)”.^[9]
• c. 1325 – A Florentine translation of Seneca's letters uses it for lifting the spirit.^[9]
• Before 1729 – Salvini records addirizzatoio, a tool for parting the hair.^[9]
• 1734 – A Tuscan source uses it for rebuilding a fallen dry-stone wall.^[9]
• 1863 – Tommaseo records addirizzatura “parting of the hair”.^[9]

Meanings

Verb

1. (uncommon) To straighten something bent or crooked; to set upright: addirizzare un ferro piegato.^{[4][6][5][14][1]}
2. (figurative) To correct or set right a fault, a wrong or a person's bad habits.^{[5][14][4][1]}
3. (literary) To direct or guide, to turn (the mind, one's steps) towards something.^{[5][14][7][1]}
4. (literary, reflexive addirizzarsi) To head towards a place or person; to turn to someone.^{[5][4][7][14]}

Word family

• addirizzamento

Related words

• dirizzare
• drizzare
• indirizzare
• French adresser
• French dresser

Usage notes

The shorter addrizzare is a variant of the same verb.^[6][4][1] The phrase addirizzare le gambe ai cani “to straighten dogs' legs” means to attempt something useless;^[14][7] Treccani notes that raddrizzare is more usual in it.^[14][7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b c d Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d e f Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
10. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
11. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 56
12. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
13. ^ De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
14. ^ a b c d e f Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli