confidare

Forms

confidare (first-person singular present confìdo, first-person singular past historic confidài, past participle confidàto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *confidāre, a remaking of the classical Latin cōnfīdere (“to trust”) in the first conjugation.^[2][3][4][5] Treccani and Wiktionary see the model of fidare, and Devoto a crossing with *fidāre.^[6][1][7] The Latin verb is formed with con- on fīdō (“to trust”), from fīdus (“faithful”).^[2][3]

The same Vulgar Latin verb gave French confier, Occitan confiar, Catalan confiar, Spanish confiar and Portuguese confiar.^[3][8][9] De Vaan derives the simple verb from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ- (“to trust”).^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Tuscan poem Re Giovanni, of the first half of the 13th century, where the word means to feel sure that someone or something will help and not harm.^[11] DELI's first date is in Malispini, 13th century, with the sense “have trust”, and Zingarelli gives about 1261.^[2][12]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian also used the verb for counting on the help of something, for allying oneself, for being overconfident, and for daring to act.^[11] The pronominal confidarsi could mean “trust”, as in Boccaccio's abbot with “un monaco bolognese, di cui egli molto si confidava” (a Bolognese monk in whom he much trusted).^[13][6] The sense “reveal one's secrets” of the reflexive is recorded in the 14th century, and the transitive “reveal” in Iacopo Nardi before 1563.^[2]

Manzoni sometimes used the past participle confidato like a Latin participle (confisus), as in Don Abbondio's “Confidato nella gran bontà di vossignoria illustrissima”.^[6] The learned confidente and confidenza are from Latin confidens and confidentia.^[3]

Timeline

• 1200–1250 – The Tuscan Re Giovanni uses the verb.^[11]
• c. 1261 – Zingarelli's date for the first record.^[12]
• 1300s – The reflexive “reveal one's secrets” is recorded.^[2]
• Before 1563 – Iacopo Nardi uses the transitive “reveal”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To trust, have confidence (in): Confidiamo nell'aiuto dei vicini.^[4][5][14]
2. (intransitive) To hope firmly (that): Confido di finire il lavoro entro sabato.^[5][14][12]
3. (transitive) To confide, reveal in confidence: Le ha confidato un segreto di famiglia.^[4][15][14]
4. (transitive, uncommon) To entrust.^[4][15][14]
5. (confidarsi) To open one's heart (to someone).^[15][14][12]
6. (confidarsi, archaic) To trust, rely on.^[14][12]

Word family

• confidente
• confidenza
• confidenziale
• confidamento
• confidanza
• disconfidarsi
• riconfidare
• sconfidare

Related words

• fidare
• fido
• Latin cōnfīdō
• French confier

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ a b c d De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
9. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1056
10. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
11. ^ a b c Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
12. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
13. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
14. ^ a b c d e f Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
15. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse