Etymologically
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firmare

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Pronunciation

  • /firˈma.re/[1]

Forms

firmare (first-person singular present fìrmo, first-person singular past historic firmài, past participle firmàto, auxiliary avére)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin firmāre (“to make firm; to confirm”), a learned word, from firmus (“firm, steady”).[2][3][4][1] Its popular doublet is fermare “to stop”, inherited from the same Latin verb.[2][1][4] The noun firma “signature” was formed from the verb.[2]

The learned form is also Spanish firmar and Portuguese firmar, beside the inherited French fermer “to close” and Catalan fermar.[3][5] De Vaan derives firmus from Proto-Italic *fermo- and Proto-Indo-European *dʰer-mo- (“holding”), with ⟨i⟩ for an older ⟨e⟩ after a labial.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record of the verb, “to sign with one's own name”, is in Alessandro Tassoni, before 1635, and the participle firmato is already in Annibal Caro, before 1566, the date GRADIT and Devoto–Oli give.[2][7][8] Zingarelli dates the verb to before 1463.[9] Tassoni writes that he sent a declaration to the ambassador, begging him to sign it in his own hand (volermela firmare di sua mano).[10] DEI records an older Italian firmare of the 14th century, “to fortify, strengthen”.[11]

Semantic evolution

From signing documents the verb passed to ratifying treaties and laws: D'Azeglio refused to sign a treaty that did not recognise the principle of Italian nationality.[10][7] The noun firma is first recorded in 1618, and mettere la firma, first a military phrase for signing on for further service, came to mean “to agree gladly” (1943).[2]

Modern Italian also says that a designer “signs” a product line, that criminals “sign” an attack that shows their hand, and in sport that a player firma a goal.[8][4] Set phrases are firmare in bianco, to sign a blank document or to commit oneself without knowing the terms, and firmare la propria condanna, to bring about one's own ruin.[7][8][12]

Timeline

  • 14th century – DEI records an older firmare “to fortify”.[11]
  • Before 1566 – Annibal Caro uses the participle firmato.[2]
  • 1618 – The noun firma is first recorded.[2]
  • Before 1635 – Tassoni uses firmare “to sign”.[2]
  • 1869 – Firmatario “signatory” is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. (transitive) To sign (a document, a cheque, a painting) with one's name: Firmi qui in fondo, per favore.[7][8][4]
  2. (transitive) To ratify by signing: Le due parti hanno firmato l'accordo.[7][8][9]
  3. (transitive) To mark with one's name as a brand; of a crime, to commit it in a way that reveals the author.[8][4]
  4. (transitive, sport) To score: Il terzino ha firmato il pareggio.[8]
  5. (pronominal) firmarsi: to sign oneself, to sign with a certain name.[8][4][12]

Word family

  • firma
  • firmatario
  • controfirma
  • controfirmare
  • firmaiolo

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  6. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  7. ^ a b c d e 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 h 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 Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  11. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 1653
  12. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana