Etymologically
Log in

arrendersi

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 20:31. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /arˈrɛn.der.si/[1]

Forms

arrendersi (first-person singular present mi arrèndo, first-person singular past historic mi arrési, past participle arrésosi)[1] The non-pronominal verb arrendere “to hand over, surrender” is now archaic.[1][2]

Etymology

It is the pronominal form of arrendere, formed from Italian a- + rendere (“to give back”) with the reinforcing prefix.[3][4][2][1] Nocentini notes that the verb is first recorded as a transitive, in the first half of the 13th century.[4][2] The TLIO dates the transitive verb earlier still, to a document from Fabriano of 1186.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record of the pronominal verb, “to give oneself up to the enemy, admit defeat”, is in Giacomino Pugliese at the beginning of the 13th century.[3] Old Italian texts spell the verb in many ways, among them arendere, arendare and southern adrenderimu.[5]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the transitive arrendere for handing over a town or a stronghold to the enemy;[2] Devoto–Oli quotes Guicciardini for this use, now archaic.[2] The pronominal verb kept the military sense and widened to giving in to circumstances, to someone else's will or to the evidence, and of things to yielding under pressure, as reeds bend in the wind.[6][2][7]

The adjective arrendevole “yielding, compliant” is recorded before 1292 in Bono Giamboni, and arrendevolezza before 1589 in Salviati, though DELI doubts that record.[3]

Timeline

  • 1186 – Arrendere appears in a document from Fabriano.[5]
  • Early 13th century – Giacomino Pugliese uses arrendersi “to surrender”.[3]
  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni has arrendevole “yielding”.[3]
  • Before 1589 – Arrendevolezza is recorded in Salviati.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To surrender, to give oneself up to the enemy and stop fighting: Dopo tre settimane di assedio la guarnigione si arrese.[6][2][7]
  2. (by extension) To give in, stop resisting, admit defeat: Non arrenderti alla prima difficoltà.[6][2][8]
  3. To yield to something, accept it: arrendersi all'evidenza, to accept the facts.[2][7]
  4. (uncommon) Of things, to bend or give way under a force: Il vecchio ponte si arrese alla piena.[6][2]

Word family

  • arrendevole
  • arrendevolezza
  • arreso

Usage notes

Arrendersi a discrezione is to surrender unconditionally, at the mercy of the victor.[6][2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  6. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  7. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  8. ^ Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli