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colpire

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word colpire

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
13th century, Monte Andrea
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek κόλαφος
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Italian colpo
Italian colpire

Pronunciation

  • /kolˈpi.re/[1]

Forms

colpire (first-person singular present colpìsco, first-person singular past historic colpìi, past participle colpìto, auxiliary avére)[1] Old Italian forms include colpir and colpìo.[2]

Etymology

It is a derivative from Italian colpo + -ire, a verb formed on the noun.[3][1][4][5] The noun colpo continues Late Latin colpus, recorded in the Lex Salica in the 6th century, from Latin colaphus (“blow with the fist”), which is Ancient Greek κόλαφος (kólaphos, “slap, blow”).[5][6][7]

The LEI notes that the verb is typical of the Italo-Romance area, with Friulian colpì (“to strike (of lightning)”) in Friulian, and that Old French colpir is an Italianism.[7] Catalan borrowed it as colpir.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI dates the verb to the 13th century, in Monte Andrea, with the sense “to strike, hit”.[5][3] The TLIO's first dated record is in Bono Giamboni's Florentine translation of Vegetius, before 1292, where it means to strike an opponent or hit a target.[2][8]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the verb for blows with a weapon or the hand, for cutting a precious stone, and figuratively for an attack by misfortune or an emotion.[2] The figurative sense “to make a deep impression on” is recorded in Torquato Tasso in 1585, and the sense “to harm, damage” in Alessandro Manzoni in 1801.[5]

In modern Italian the verb is used for shots and missiles, for hitting a ball, for disasters that strike a region and for taxes and laws that bear on someone.[3][9][10] Set phrases include colpire nel segno, to hit the mark or guess right, and colpire al cuore.[3][8]

Timeline

  • 13th century – Monte Andrea uses colpire for striking.[5]
  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses the verb in his translation of Vegetius.[2]
  • 1585 – Torquato Tasso uses it for making a deep impression.[5]
  • 1801 – Alessandro Manzoni uses it for harming.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To hit or strike someone or something with blows: Il ladro lo colpì alla testa con una bottiglia.[3][11]
  2. To hit a target with a shot or a throw, or with a firearm or missile: Il cacciatore non è riuscito a colpire l'anatra.[3][11]
  3. To bump or knock against something by accident.[3][11]
  4. (sports) To strike the ball, with the foot or the head.[11][10]
  5. (figurative) To make a deep impression on, to impress or surprise: Mi ha colpito la sua gentilezza.[3][9][8]
  6. (figurative) To grasp or hit upon something, such as the truth.[3]
  7. (figurative) To damage or afflict: of a disaster, an epidemic or a crisis.[3][9]
  8. Of a tax or law, to bear on or penalize someone: Il nuovo tributo colpisce i piccoli commercianti.[3][9][10]

Word family

  • colpitore

Usage notes

It conjugates with -isc-: io colpisco, tu colpisci.[11][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  4. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ a b Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 15, 622
  8. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  10. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
Cite this entry

“Colpire.” Etymologically, 21 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/colpire. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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