comparire

Forms

comparire (first-person singular present compàio or comparìsco, first-person singular past historic compàrvi or (less common) comparìi or (ditto) compàrsi, past participle compàrso, auxiliary èssere)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin compāreō (“to be visible, appear”), with a change to the conjugation in -ire.^[2][3][4][1] Nocentini adds that the forms of the Latin verb merged with those of an inchoative Vulgar Latin *comparēscere, to which French comparaître and Spanish comparecer go back.^[5] The Latin verb is formed from com- and pāreō (“to appear”).^[2][3]

The LEI finds the Latin verb, used from Plautus on, in every Romance language but Romanian and Sardinian: Dalmatian comparére, Romansh cumparer, Old French comparoir (“to appear before a judge”), Old Occitan comparer and Catalan comparer.^[6] The forms in -escere are matched by a medical Medieval Latin comparescere of the 8th century, the French form being recorded from 1530, the Spanish one from the late 14th century; the change to -ire is shared by Friulian comparì.^[6] Old Italian also had comparere, and the Sicilian dialects still say cumpàriri.^[6][7][8]

De Vaan derives the simple verb from Proto-Italic *pāsē- and tentatively from a PIE *peh₂s- (“to watch, see”).^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Roman Storie de Troia et de Roma (1252–1258), with the sense “to become visible”.^[7] DELI's first example, in Chiaro Davanzati in the 13th century, has the sense “to show oneself, appear”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian texts already used the verb for appearing in public or answering a summons, and for having a certain appearance.^[7] The legal sense, to appear in court, is found in Giovanni Villani, and the sense “to cut a fine figure” in Niccolò del Rosso, both before 1348.^[2] The verb also meant “to be of use” in the old language, a sense now lost.^[7][10]

From the 17th century the participle gave comparsa, first an appearance, then a walk-on actor (1686) and a written pleading in a civil case (1691); comparizione, the act of appearing in court, is older (1416).^[2] Modern Italian also uses the verb for a book coming out and for a name figuring in a list.^[3][11]

Timeline

• 1252–1258 – First record, in the Roman Storie de Troia et de Roma.^[7]
• 13th century – Chiaro Davanzati uses the verb for showing oneself.^[2]
• Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it for appearing in court.^[2]
• 1416 – Comparizione is recorded in the statutes of Laiatico.^[2]
• 1530 – French comparaître is first recorded.^[6]
• 1686 – Comparsa “walk-on actor” appears in Filippo Baldinucci.^[2]
• 1691 – The third Crusca dictionary records comparsa as a legal pleading.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To appear suddenly, come into view: All'improvviso comparve un gatto sul tetto.^[3][11][12]
2. To show oneself, present oneself: Non compare in ufficio da una settimana.^[3][11][4]
3. To make oneself known; to cut a figure, show off: Ci tiene molto a comparire.^[3][11][4]
4. Of a text: to be published, come out.^[3][11][12]
5. To be included, figure: Il suo nome non compare tra i vincitori.^[3][11][12]
6. (law) To appear before a court or judge: comparire in giudizio.^[3][11][12]
7. (literary) To seem, look like.^[3][11][10]

Word family

• comparsa
• comparizione
• comparente
• compariscente
• scomparire
• scomparsa
• ricomparire

Related words

• apparire
• parere
• Latin compāreō
• French comparaître

Usage notes

The forms vary with the sense: for “appear suddenly” the past historic is comparvi; for the legal sense it is comparsi; for “show off, make a figure” the present is comparisco and the past historic comparii.^[4][11] The past participle is comparso, rarely comparito, and the auxiliary is essere.^[4][10]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b c d e Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
5. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 16, 264
7. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
8. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
9. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
12. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse