Etymologically
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certamente

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Pronunciation

  • /t͡ʃer.taˈmen.te/[1]

Etymology

It is formed in from Italian certo + -mente, from the adjective certo (“certain”) and the adverb suffix.[2][3][4][1] The TLIO derives it from the adjective in the sense “sure, certain”.[5] Tommaseo compares the adverb Latin certē.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in Giacomo da Lentini, the Sicilian poet, about 1230–1250, in a Tuscan copy, with the sense “with certainty, without doubt”, also as a general intensifier.[5]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the adverb also meant “as a proof shows”, “confidently”, “really” and “skilfully”, and certamente che was a conjunction “provided that”.[5] Bono Giamboni writes that the moon is proved certamente to be smaller than the sun and the earth by their eclipses.[7][6] The superlative certissimamente is already in the TLIO's forms and is used by Tasso.[5][7]

Today the adverb is mostly used as a sentence adverb and as an answer meaning “of course”.[2][3][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1230–1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses certamente.[5]
  • Second half of the 13th century – The date given by GRADIT and Devoto–Oli.[2][3]
  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it of a proof by eclipses.[7]

Meanings

Adverb

  1. certainly, without doubt: Domani pioverà certamente.[2][3][4]
  2. As a sentence adverb or an aside, to strengthen or concede a statement: Certamente, non è colpa tua.[3][4]
  3. As an answer, of course, sure: «Mi presti la penna?» «Certamente.»[2][3]

Usage notes

Certamente sì and certamente no strengthen an answer.[8] Treccani notes a use that presents a guess as a certainty, as in an inference from someone's late arrival.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  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 Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  7. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  8. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli