approvare

Forms

approvare (first-person singular present appròvo, first-person singular past historic approvài, past participle approvàto, auxiliary avére)^[1] The older form Old Italian approbare keeps the Latin ⟨-b-⟩.^[2][3][4] There is also an old Old Italian appruovare.^[5][6]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin approbō (“to approve; to prove”), formed from ad- and probō (“to test; to approve”), whence provare.^[7][8][9][4] The LEI treats the forms with ⟨-v-⟩ as the popular continuation and the forms that keep the Latin ⟨-b-⟩ as learned.^[4]

The Latin verb continues as Romansh approvar in the Engadine, Old French aprover and French approuver, Old Occitan aproar, Catalan aprovar (from 1309), Spanish aprobar (from 1251) and Portuguese aprovar.^[4][8][10] DEI notes that it is found all over Romance except in Romanian and Sardinian.^[11] The simple verb is derived from probus (“good, excellent”), which de Vaan traces through Proto-Italic *profo- (“favourable”) to Proto-Indo-European *pro-bʰ(h₂)u-o-.^[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Giacomo da Lentini, between about 1230 and 1250.^[13] The oldest sense is “to prove, demonstrate”, which the LEI dates from the Intelligenza; the TLIO also has “to put to the test”.^[4][13] DELI's first record of the sense “to judge good or right” is Guittone d'Arezzo, before 1294.^[7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to deem fit” appears in Bono Giamboni before 1292, and “to ratify a law or decision” in Giovanni Villani before 1348.^[7] The old sense “to prove” lasted until Torricelli in 1647 and is now obsolete.^[4][9][2] Approvazione followed early in the 14th century, approvabile before 1646 and disapprovare in the 17th century.^[7][8]

Tommaseo distinguished approvare from praising: approval can be given in silence, by applause or by a gesture, and non approvo can sound like outright condemnation.^[6] In schools approvato is said of a candidate who has passed.^[14]

Timeline

• 1230–1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses approvare.^[13]
• Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it for “to deem fit”.^[7]
• Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses it for “to judge good”.^[7][9]
• Early 14th century – Approvazione is recorded.^[7]
• Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it for ratifying a law.^[7]
• Before 1646 – Approvabile is recorded.^[7]
• 1647 – Torricelli is the last cited author to use it for “to prove”.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. (transitive) To approve of, judge right or good: Il nonno non approvava le nuove abitudini del nipote.^[9][15][2]
2. (absolute) To assent, show agreement, as with a nod.^[9][15]
3. (transitive) To pass a candidate, declare fit.^[9][15][1]
4. (transitive, law) Of an assembly, to pass by vote; of an authority, to authorise an act of a lower body.^[9][2][16]
5. (obsolete) To prove, demonstrate; to test.^[9][2][13]

Word family

• approvazione
• approvabile
• disapprovare
• disapprovazione
• riapprovare
• approvatore
• approvativo

Related words

• provare
• Latin approbō
• French approuver

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 3, 341
5. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
6. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ 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
10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 259
12. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
13. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
14. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
15. ^ a b c Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
16. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana