imbarazzo

Forms

imbarazzo m (plural imbarazzi)^[1]

Etymology

Nocentini, Devoto–Oli, Sabatini–Coletti and Treccani see it as borrowed from Spanish embarazo, the noun of embarazar (“to hinder”).^[2][3][4][5] GRADIT, Zingarelli, Gabrielli and the GDLI instead derive it within Italian from imbarazzare, comparing the Spanish noun (GRADIT dates it to about 1460, the GDLI to the 16th century) and French embarras (1611).^[6][7][8][9]

The Spanish verb (1460) was taken from Portuguese embaraçar (“to tie up; to hinder with a cord”), formed from baraço (“cord, strap”) with the prefix en-.^[10][2][6] DELI calls the Portuguese noun probably pre-Roman, perhaps Celtic.^[10] The same Spanish verb gave French embarrasser.^[2] DELI follows Zaccaria, who argued that French had little influence on Italian in the 16th century, that the Spanish verb and noun were widespread from the 15th, and that the Italian verb was already used in 1507 to translate the Spanish of Columbus.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI dates the first record to about 1535, in Annibal Caro, with the sense of a hindrance that makes movement awkward.^[10] The GDLI and Tommaseo quote Caro's translation of the Aeneid, where the weight and imbarazzo of the arms hold back the crew of a wrecked ship.^[9][11]

Semantic evolution

The sense of inner unease, confusion or awkwardness appears before 1568 in Luigi Tansillo, and that of doubt or uncertainty in 1697 in Pier Iacopo Martello.^[10] The physical sense of an obstacle or encumbrance lived on in the 17th and 18th centuries: the GDLI quotes Bernardo Davanzati on silent letters as an imbarazzo to be removed and Francesco Dalmazzo Vasco on trade as a machine that runs by itself unless held up by obstacles.^[9] Medicine spoke of an imbarazzo di fegato, the beginning of a liver obstruction (1733, Giuseppe Del Papa), and later of an imbarazzo di stomaco, heaviness from undigested food (1869, Tommaseo).^[10][11]

Today the emotional sense is the main one; the sense “obstacle” is rare, and l'imbarazzo della scelta is said when there are many good things to choose from.^[3][6][7]

Timeline

• c. 1535 – Annibal Caro uses imbarazzo for a hindrance.^[10]
• Before 1568 – Luigi Tansillo uses it for unease or confusion.^[10]
• 1611 – French embarras is recorded.^[9]
• 1697 – Pier Iacopo Martello uses it for doubt or uncertainty.^[10]
• 1733 – Giuseppe Del Papa writes of imbarazzo di fegato.^[10]
• 1869 – Tommaseo records imbarazzo di stomaco.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. (uncommon) An obstacle or encumbrance that gets in the way of movement or of an action: Quella scatola in corridoio è solo d'imbarazzo.^[6][3][5]
2. embarrassment, unease or awkwardness, from not knowing what to say or do; also perplexity: La sua domanda mi ha messo in imbarazzo.^[6][4][8]
3. imbarazzo di stomaco: heaviness of the stomach from poor digestion.^[6][3][7]

Related words

• imbarazzamento
• imbarazzante
• imbarazzare
• imbarazzato
• sbarazzare
• Spanish embarazo
• French embarras

Usage notes

Avere l'imbarazzo della scelta (or c'è l'imbarazzo della scelta) means to have a wide choice of good options.^[6][3][12] Imbarazzo is also the first person singular present of imbarazzare.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
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 Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b 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 De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
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, p. 7, 276
10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana