andata

Forms

andata f (plural andate)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian andare + -ata: the feminine past participle of the verb, used as a noun.^[2][3][4][1] The LEI treats andare and its derivatives under Latin ambulō (“to walk”), and stresses how hard the etymology of the Romance verbs of going is.^[5] A Medieval Latin form is recorded at Parma in 1266, earlier than the first Tuscan record.^[6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Storie de Troia et de Roma, a Roman text of 1252–1258, in the sense “the act of going”.^[8] DELI dates the Tuscan word to Brunetto Latini, before 1294, the date GRADIT gives.^[6][2]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian andata was also a journey with a purpose, a mission or embassy, the route taken, access to a place, and a person's gait, the sense now taken by andatura; the phrase a lunga andata meant the same as a lungo andare, “in the long run”.^[8] Dante's Virgil speaks of Aeneas' descent to the underworld: “Per questa andata, onde li dai tu vanto” (through this journey, for which you praise him).^[9][10] Ariosto uses it for a departure.^[2]

Since the old language the word has been set against ritorno, “return”.^[9] Modern Italian uses it for the outward half of a journey, as in biglietto di sola andata and andata e ritorno, and in sport for the first round or first leg of a competition, the girone di andata.^[2][11][3]

Timeline

• 1252–1258 – The Roman Storie de Troia et de Roma use andata.^[8]
• 1266 – A Medieval Latin form is recorded at Parma.^[6]
• Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses the Tuscan word.^[6][2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of going somewhere; the outward journey, as opposed to the return: All'andata abbiamo preso il treno delle sei.^[2][11][7]
2. (literary) A journey, a way.^[2][3]
3. (sports) The first round of a championship or the first leg of a tie: partita di andata, girone di andata.^[2][11][4]

Related words

• andare
• andatura
• andato

Usage notes

Andata e ritorno is a return ticket or journey, sola andata a single.^[2][11]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
3. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
5. ^ Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 2, 596
6. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
9. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
10. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 1, 458
11. ^ 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