donde

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin dē unde (“from where”), a strengthened form of Latin unde (“whence”) with the preposition dē (“from”).^{[2][3][4][5][1][6]} DELI calls the Latin adverb of uncertain origin.^[2] The simpler onde continues it alone.^[3][7]

The compound is found in Italy and the western Romance languages: Old French dont, recorded from the 10th century, became French dont (“of which”), and Spanish donde and Portuguese donde mean “where”.^[8][3][7] REW adds Friulian dontri and Engadine dinuonder (“whence”).^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The oldest record the LEI cites is Sicilian dundi in Stefano Protonotaro, in 1255, in the sense “from which, of which”.^[6] In Tuscan, Latini's Tesoretto has donde “from where” about 1262.^[6] DELI dates “from where, from which place” to the end of the 13th century, in a translation of Latini, and “from which, from which thing” to Guido delle Colonne, before 1290.^[2]

Semantic evolution

From the sense of place the word moved to origin and source, “from whom, from what”, recorded in Milan in Bonvesin before 1315 and in Florence in Davanzati.^[6] Petrarch writes Mira 'l gran sasso, donde Sorga nasce (“see the great rock from which the Sorgue rises”).^[9][10] Boccaccio's Decameron also has the senses “in which” and “through which”.^[6][11]

As a conjunction it draws a conclusion, “whence, so that”, a use that Tommaseo illustrates from the Novellino and Dante.^[12][5] With a causal sense it gave the phrase averne ben donde, “to have good reason”, as in Leopardi's Piangi, che ben hai donde, Italia mia (“weep, for you have good reason, my Italy”).^[5][11] The word is now literary.^[5][13][11]

Timeline

• 1255 – Sicilian dundi appears in Stefano Protonotaro.^[6]
• c. 1262 – Latini's Tesoretto has donde “from where”.^[6]
• 1288 – Sienese donde appears in a translation of Egidio Colonna.^[6]
• Before 1290 – Guido delle Colonne uses it for “from which thing”.^[2]
• Before 1315 – Bonvesin (Milan) uses it of source and origin.^[6]
• c. 1370 – Boccaccio's Decameron uses it for “in which”.^[6]

Meanings

Adverb

1. (literary) whence, from where, from which place (in direct and indirect questions): Donde viene questo forestiero?^{[5][14][11][1]}
2. (literary) From whom, from what source.^[5][14][15]
3. (literary) Relative: from which, from the place where; also through which, by which way.^[5][14][13]
4. (literary) From which (fact), whence: donde si deduce che…^[5][14][11]
5. (literary) Of which, with which: non c’era donde mangiare.^[14][11][13]
6. (literary) For what reason, why.^[5][14][11]

Conjunction

1. (literary, rare) Therefore, so that.^[5][14][13]

Related words

• onde
• dove
• di
• Latin unde
• French dont

Usage notes

Avere donde or averne ben donde means to have good reason for something.^[5][14][11] In poetry it could be cut to don.^[14]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 20, 19
7. ^ a b c Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1380
9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 4, 944
10. ^ Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
11. ^ a b c d e f g h Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
14. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
15. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli