dannazione

Forms

dannazione f (plural dannazioni)^[1] Old forms include Old Italian dampnatione, Old Italian dannagione and Venetian Old Italian dannacion.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin damnātiō (“condemnation”), from damnō (“to condemn”).^[4][5][6][1] Wiktionary also analyses it as dannare with the suffix -zione.^[1] The LEI explains that the Latin noun meant a legal sentence in pagan Latin, and that Christian Latin gave it the sense “condemnation to the pains of hell”, which passed into the Romance languages.^[3]

The LEI calls the forms with ⟨nn⟩ semi-learned and those keeping ⟨mn⟩, often written with an inserted ⟨p⟩, Latinising; endings such as ⟨-asone⟩ show Gallo-Romance influence.^[3] The same word is Old French dampnatiun (about 1174), Old Occitan dampnatio, Catalan damnació, Spanish damnación and Portuguese damnação.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Bono Giamboni, before 1292, in the sense “condemnation to the pains of hell”.^[4] The TLIO's first record is in the Milanese poet Bonvesin de la Riva, at the end of the 13th century.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian also used the word for a sentence in law, for a ban, for moral blame and for the Church's condemnation of a doctrine;^[2][4][3] Domenico Cavalca has the general sense “condemnation” before 1342.^[2][4][3] The figurative sense “torment” is found in Daniello Bartoli, before 1685.^[4] As an oath or insult it is recorded in Viani in 1929 and in Emilio Cecchi in 1946.^[3] Today it is mainly an exclamation of anger.^[6][7]

Timeline

• Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses dannazione for damnation.^[4]
• Late 13th century – Bonvesin de la Riva uses the word.^[2]
• Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca has the sense “condemnation”.^[4]
• Before 1685 – Daniello Bartoli has the sense “torment”.^[4]
• 1929 – The word is recorded as an oath.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. damnation, eternal condemnation of the soul: la paura della dannazione eterna.^[6][7][8]
2. (figurative) A constant torment, a curse: Quella vecchia auto è la mia dannazione.^[6][7][8]
3. (archaic) Condemnation, reproof.^[6][7][8]

Interjection

1. damn!, an exclamation of anger or annoyance: Dannazione, ho perso il treno!^[6][7][1]

Related words

• dannare
• dannato
• danno
• condanna
• Latin damnātiō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e 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 Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse