Etymologically
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addosso

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Pronunciation

  • /adˈdɔs.so/[1]

Forms

addosso (invariable; also written a dosso in older and literary use)[2][3][4] Older forms include Old Italian adosso, Old Italian adoso, Old Italian adossu and Old Italian aduosso.[5]

Etymology

It is the phrase “on the back” written as one word: from Italian a + dosso (“back”).[6][7][3][8] Spoken Italian doubles the consonant after the preposition, and the spelling with ⟨dd⟩ records this.[9] The noun dosso continues Vulgar Latin *dossum, an assimilated popular form of Latin dorsum (“back”).[6][10][1] DEI compares French à dos, recorded from the 12th century.[11]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record of the adverb is in Bonagiunta Orbicciani of Lucca, in the middle of the 13th century, and of the preposition in a Florentine document of 1278–1279.[5] DELI dates the sense “on the shoulders, on one's person” to the Novellino, at the end of the 13th century, where a man comes home “with lion skins on him” (con pelli di leoni addosso).[6][12]

Semantic evolution

From “on the back” the word spread to anything worn or carried on the body, and to what lies inside a person, such as a fever or a fear; the TLIO also records it in the sense “against” from the beginning.[5] DELI dates “over, upon” to Iacopone, before 1306, and “against” to the end of the 13th century.[6] Dante writes of souls bent under weights “secondo ch'avìen più e meno addosso” (according as they had more or less upon them).[12]

Tommaseo already noted a very rich phraseology, to which DELI refers.[6][13] Modern dictionaries list mettere le mani addosso (to lay hands on, to beat), avere l'argento vivo addosso (to be restless) and parlarsi addosso (to talk on and on, pleased with oneself).[7][14][9] From the adverb Italian formed the verb addossare, “to lean (something) against; to lay (blame) on”, used by Dante.[6][10]

Timeline

  • Mid-13th century – Bonagiunta Orbicciani has the first record of the adverb.[5]
  • 1278–1279 – A Florentine document uses it as a preposition.[5]
  • Late 13th century – The Novellino uses it for what is worn on the body.[6]
  • Before 1306 – Iacopone uses the sense “over, upon”.[6]
  • Before 1321 – Dante uses the verb addossare.[6]
  • 1797 – Addossamento is recorded.[6]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. On one's body or person; worn or carried: Non avevo addosso neanche un euro.[7][2][14]
  2. On one's back or shoulders, as a load: Arrivò con un sacco di patate addosso.[2][4]
  3. In one's clothes, as in farsela addosso (to wet oneself; figuratively, to panic).[7][2][14]
  4. Inside oneself, in body or mind, of a fever, a feeling or a mood: Mi sento addosso una gran malinconia.[7][3][14]
  5. Very close, threateningly near: Aveva la polizia addosso.[7][4]

Preposition

  1. In the phrase addosso a: on, upon; against; very close to: Il ciclista è finito addosso a una macchina parcheggiata.[2][14][4]

Interjection

  1. Addosso!, urging an attack on someone.[7][3][9]

Word family

  • addossare
  • addossato
  • addossamento
  • dosso
  • indosso

Usage notes

Addosso is used with many verbs in set phrases: mettere le mani addosso a qualcuno (to lay hands on, to beat), stare addosso a qualcuno (to keep after someone), dare addosso a qualcuno (to attack), piangersi addosso (to feel sorry for oneself).[7][14][9] Indosso is a near-synonym in the sense “worn on the body”.[2][10]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  5. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  8. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  9. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  10. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  11. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 57
  12. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 1
  13. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  14. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli