dinanzi

Forms

dinanzi (invariable), also dinnanzi^[2][3] Old forms include Old Italian dinante, Old Italian dinanti, Old Italian denanti and Old Italian denanzi.^[4][5][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *de in antius, a phrase of three Latin words: Latin dē (“of, from”), in (“in”) and a comparative *antius of ante (“before”).^[6] DELI and Zingarelli take the last part as *antia, a spoken variant of anteā (“before, previously”),^[7][3] and Wiktionary, GRADIT and Devoto–Oli give the phrase as dē in anteā;^[1][8][2][9] GRADIT and the Treccani add that the ending was shaped by anzi.^[1][8][2][9] The GDLI also sees a phrase with plain ante behind the old forms denante and dinanti, and notes that piling up particles in this way is typical of popular, emphatic formations.^[4]

The same type is Spanish delante and Portuguese diante, and further north Piedmontese dnans and Lombard dinanz.^[10][1] The simpler *in antius gave innanzi.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the preposition, “in front of”, in Faba, before 1243; the adverb “in front, opposite” follows in Bonagiunta, before 1257.^[7][3]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used dinanzi for both place and time: Dante writes Dinanzi a me non fuor cose create / se non etterne (“before me nothing was created that is not eternal”), and he also uses dinanzi da for “in front of”.^[3][2][9] The temporal senses are now archaic, and the conjunction dinanzi che “before” survives only in literary writing.^[2][3]

In modern Italian dinanzi is a more refined synonym of davanti, mostly in dinanzi a “in front of; in the presence of”.^[9][2] Tommaseo's 19th-century dictionary records the Tuscan proverb chi dinanzi non mira, di dietro sospira (who does not look ahead sighs afterwards).^[11]

Timeline

• Before 1243 – Faba uses dinanzi as a preposition.^[7]
• Before 1257 – Bonagiunta uses it as an adverb.^[7]
• 14th century – DEI's date for the word, as preposition and adverb of place and time.^[12]

Meanings

Adverb

1. In front, ahead, opposite; now a refined word: guardava dinanzi.^[8][2][5]
2. (archaic) Before, earlier.^[2][3][5]

Preposition

1. dinanzi a: in front of: si fermò dinanzi alla porta.^[2][3][9]
2. dinanzi a: in the presence of: parlare dinanzi al giudice.^[3][13]
3. dinanzi a (figurative, rare): compared with.^[3][13]
4. dinanzi a (archaic): before, in time.^[3][14]

Conjunction

1. dinanzi che (rare, literary): before, introducing a clause of time.^[3][2]

Adjective

1. (invariable) Lying in front, opposite: la piazza dinanzi.^[8][3][5]
2. (invariable) Previous: la sera dinanzi.^[3][5]

Noun

1. (invariable, rare, literary) The front part of something.^[8][3]

Related words

• anzi
• innanzi
• dianzi
• davanti

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
4. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
5. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
6. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b c d e De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
9. ^ 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)
10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1309
13. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
14. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana