ferrare

Forms

ferrare (first-person singular present fèrro, first-person singular past historic ferrài, past participle ferràto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

Nocentini takes it as inherited from Vulgar Latin *ferrāre, formed from Latin ferrum (“iron; iron tool”) and continued in French ferrer, Occitan ferrar, Catalan ferrar, Spanish herrar and Portuguese ferrar.^[2][3] The verb is recorded at Bologna as Medieval Latin ferrare in 1248.^[4][5][6] GRADIT, Devoto–Oli and the TLIO derive it in Italian from ferro, and Wiktionary gives both explanations, beside classical ferrātus (“bound with iron”).^[7][8][9][1]

The origin of the Latin noun is unknown.^[10][2] It is a loanword, as befits a metal that came late and has no common Indo-European name;^[10][2][1] De Vaan suggests a Phoenician source, comparing Biblical Hebrew בַּרְזֶל (barzel).^[10][2][1] Nocentini notes that the double ⟨rr⟩ probably comes from an earlier ⟨rs⟩.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is in the Sienese poet Ruggieri Apugliese, of the mid-13th century, for reinforcing or fitting something with iron.^[9] DELI's first record is in the Novellino, at the end of the 13th century, for shoeing horses, asses, mules and oxen with metal plates to protect their hooves.^[4]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used ferrare for fitting iron bars to windows, for shoeing animals, and for putting prisoners in chains.^[9] Giovanni Villani writes of a ruler who out of suspicion fece ferrare le finestre del palagio (“had the palace windows barred”), and a lauda of Jacopone has Christ “nailed” on the cross with the same verb.^[6][11] Boccaccio uses it in 1339–1340 for fitting spears with iron heads.^[4][6]

Modern Italian keeps the senses of reinforcing doors, barrels and shoes with iron and of shoeing horses, and adds a fishing sense: to tighten the line so that the hook catches in the fish's mouth.^[7][8][12] The reflexive ferrarsi is used for becoming expert in a subject.^[13]

Timeline

• 1248 – Medieval Latin ferrare is recorded at Bologna.^[4][5]
• Mid-13th century – Ruggieri Apugliese uses ferrare.^[9]
• 1287 – the first record in Zingarelli.^[14]
• End of the 13th century – the Novellino uses it for shoeing horses.^[4]
• 1339–1340 – Boccaccio uses it for fitting with iron.^[4]
• 14th century – ferratura “shoeing” is recorded.^[2][5]
• 19th century – ferratore is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To fit or reinforce with iron: ferrare una botte, to hoop a barrel;^[7][8][12] ferrare gli scarponi, to stud the soles of boots with hobnails.^[7][8][12]
2. To shoe a horse, mule or ox: Il maniscalco ferrò la mula prima del viaggio.^[7][8][13]
3. (fishing) To strike: to tighten the line so that the hook catches in the fish's mouth.^[7][8][12]
4. (archaic) To put in chains, to fetter: ferrare i prigionieri.^[8][15][14]
5. (reflexive, figurative) Ferrarsi: to become expert in a field.^[13]

Word family

• ferrato
• ferrata
• ferratura
• ferratore
• sferrare
• riferrare
• afferrare

Related words

• ferro
• inferriata
• Latin ferrum
• French ferrer

Usage notes

A separate verb ferrare, found only in ferrare agosto “to celebrate the first of August”, comes from a popular form of Latin fēriārī (“to keep holiday”), as does ferragosto.^[16][6] The participle ferrato has its own senses.^[12]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1622
6. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 5, 855
7. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
8. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
10. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET, p. 2, 750
12. ^ 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)
13. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
14. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
15. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
16. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 433