Etymologically
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intenzione

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Pronunciation

  • /in.tenˈt͡sjo.ne/[1]

Forms

intenzione f (plural intenzioni)[1] Old forms include Old Italian entenzione, Old Italian intencione and Old Italian intensione.[2][3]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin intentiō (“a stretching; attention; purpose”), from intendō (“to stretch towards, direct”), the source of intendere.[4][5][6][1] According to DEI, the Latin noun rendered Ancient Greek ἔντασις (éntasis, “a stretching”) and its figurative sense “being intent”.[7] In the oldest Christian Latin it took over “purpose” from Latin cōgitātiō, and the Scholastics used it for the mind's turning to an object of knowledge.[7][8] The same Latin word gave French intention (earlier Old French entencion, 12th century) and Spanish intención.[5][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is Bonagiunta Orbicciani of Lucca, in the middle of the 13th century, and Zingarelli dates the word to about 1261.[2][9] DELI's first record of the sense “purpose of doing something”, not necessarily joined to the will to do it, is Chiaro Davanzati (13th century).[4][3]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian used the word widely: for attention and zeal, for desire (also sinful or amorous desire), for the meaning of words, for the aim of an author, for an opinion in a philosophical question, and in law for the opening part of a charge.[2][7] Intenzionale is a term of Scholastic philosophy from the early 14th century and means “deliberate” from the 19th century, and intenzionato (17th century) is modelled on French intentionné.[5]

Modern set phrases include processo alle intenzioni, judging someone by what they are supposed to intend, and the proverb that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.[9][10] In medicine a wound heals per prima or per seconda intenzione, and in football a shot di prima intenzione is a volley.[11][6]

Timeline

  • Mid-13th century – Bonagiunta Orbicciani uses intenzione.[2]
  • About 1261 – Zingarelli's date for the first record.[9]
  • Early 14th century – Intenzionale appears in Scholastic philosophy.[5]
  • 17th century – Intenzionato is formed after French intentionné.[5]
  • Before 1877 – Preterintenzionale is recorded.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. intention, plan or wish to do something: Ho intenzione di cambiare lavoro.[6][11][12][1]
  2. Aim, purpose: pregare secondo l'intenzione del Papa.[11][12]
  3. Disposition towards someone, buone or cattive intenzioni: Quali sono le sue intenzioni?[6][11][10]
  4. con intenzione: on purpose, and senza intenzione: unintentionally.[6][9]
  5. (medicine) The way a wound heals, per prima intenzione with a fine scar, per seconda intenzione slowly with a thick one.[11][6]
  6. (philosophy) In Aristotelian and Scholastic thought, the act by which the mind turns to an object, or the concept so formed.[6][9]
  7. (archaic) Meaning, sense, or opinion.[6][9]

Word family

  • intenzionale
  • intenzionalità
  • intenzionato
  • preterintenzionale

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 8, 214
  4. ^ a b 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 d e f Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  6. ^ 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
  7. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2058
  8. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  9. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ 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
  12. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse