compimento

Forms

compimento m (plural compimenti)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian compiere + -mento or from its variant compire.^{[2][3][4][1][5]} The noun Latin complēmentum (“something that completes”), from compleō (“to fill”), is behind it.^[6][7] The LEI explains the medieval word as perhaps formed directly from the Italian verbs rather than continuing the Latin noun by regular sound change.^[8]

The Latin noun was taken up again in learned form as complemento in modern times, and complimento “compliment” is a borrowing of Spanish cumplimiento, recorded from 1547.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in a Florentine account book of 1211, in the sense “payment of the balance of a sum owed, settlement”.^[8][2][4]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian the word meant the end of a process or of a period of time, the carrying out of an action, the paying off of a debt, and figuratively completeness or perfection.^[4] Locutions such as dare compimento and mandare a compimento (to bring about, carry out) were already in use.^[4] Boccaccio wrote per dare all'opera compimento (“to bring the work to completion”), and an old translation of Paul speaks of il compimento del tempo, the fullness of time.^[9]

The senses “perfection, completeness” lasted in literature from Tasso in 1579 to Leopardi in 1826.^[8] The old use for what is now complemento in grammar and mathematics has gone.^[10]

Timeline

• 1211 – A Florentine account book has compimento “settlement”.^[2][4][8]
• Before 1249 – Pier della Vigna uses it for completeness.^[8]
• 1547 – Complimento is borrowed from Spanish.^[8]
• 1579 – Tasso uses compimento for perfection.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. The carrying out of something, execution, fulfilment: nel compimento delle sue funzioni.^[3][5][11]
2. completion, conclusion: portare a compimento, to bring to an end.^{[3][12][11][1]}
3. The coming true of something: il compimento di un sogno.^[3][12][10]
4. (literary) Satisfaction of a wish, gratification.^[3][12][11]
5. (obsolete) complemento, in grammar and mathematics.^[3][10]

Related words

• compiere
• compire
• complemento
• complimento
• Latin complementum

Usage notes

A compimento di means “in addition to, to complete”, and is also said of a misfortune that comes on top of others.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b c d e Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
5. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
6. ^ Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
7. ^ Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 16, 445
9. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
11. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ 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