fidanza

Forms

fidanza f (plural fidanze)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian fidare + -anza, on the model of Old French fiance (“promise”), the noun of fier (“to trust”).^{[2][3][4][5][1]} DELI and Zingarelli describe it rather as the Old French noun remade after the Italian verb.^[6][7] Nocentini instead sets up Vulgar Latin *fidantia (“trusting”), from *fīdāre (“to trust”), and lists French fiance, Occitan fizansa and Spanish fianza as the same formation.^[8]

The Italian verb goes back to Latin fīdere (“to trust”), whose root Nocentini traces to Proto-Indo-European *bʰeydʰ-.^[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Guido Faba, before 1243, with the sense “faith, trust, guarantee”: the writer puts all his trust in the person he addresses.^[6][9][2]

Semantic evolution

The word was used of trust in a person and above all of trust in God.^[9][10] Dante has it in Inferno XI, ed in quel che fidanza non imborsa (“and in him who does not take trust into his purse”), and in Paradiso XXII, così m’ha dilatata mia fidanza (“so has my trust opened out”).^[4][9] It also meant credit in trade, in dare or vendere a fidanza, and a safe-conduct.^[2][3][5] The noun is now obsolete.^[2][3]

Its derivative fidanzare first meant “to reassure, to guarantee” (Medieval Latin fidantiare, Reggio Emilia, 1242, Italian before 1363, Matteo Villani), a sense lost after the 17th century.^[6] The verb French fiancer went from “to make a commitment” to “to promise in marriage” (1283), and the Italian verb took this sense once in the early 14th century and then for good with Berchet, before 1851.^[6] Fidanzato and fidanzamento then replaced promesso sposo and promessa di matrimonio;^[6] Tommaseo–Bellini (1869) still said that fidanzato was not in common use, which is why Manzoni's novel is I promessi sposi.^[6]

Timeline

• 1242 – Medieval Latin fidantiare “to guarantee” is recorded at Reggio Emilia.^[6][11]
• Before 1243 – Guido Faba uses fidanza.^[6][2][7]
• Before 1363 – Matteo Villani uses fidanzare “to guarantee”.^[6]
• 1600 – Bernardo Davanzati uses fidanzato as an adjective.^[6]
• 1829 – Fidanzata appears in a translation of Walter Scott.^[6]
• 1898 – Fidanzamento is recorded.^[6][8]

Meanings

Noun

1. (obsolete, literary) trust, faith, confidence.^{[2][3][4][12][1]}
2. (obsolete) In dare a fidanza and vendere a fidanza: on credit.^[2][3][5]
3. (obsolete) A pledge or guarantee; a safe-conduct.^{[2][7][12][1]}

Word family

• fidanzare
• fidanzato
• fidanzamento
• sfidanzarsi

Related words

• fida
• fidare
• fiducia
• fede
• Old French fiance

Usage notes

An old form is fianza.^[9] Fidanza is also a surname.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ 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
10. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
11. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1634
12. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana