Etymologically
Log in

interessato

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Italian word interessato

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
14th century, Statutes of the Arte della Seta
Ultimate origin
Latin intersum

Pronunciation

  • /in.te.resˈsa.to/[1]

Forms

interessato (feminine interessata, masculine plural interessati, feminine plural interessate, superlative interessatissimo)[1]

Etymology

It is the past participle of interessare (“to interest; to concern”), used as an adjective and a noun.[2][3][4][5] The verb was formed on interesse, a learned word from Medieval Latin interesse, a legal term for “advantage, profit”: the classical infinitive of the impersonal Latin interest (“it matters”), literally “it is between”, from inter (“between”) and esse (“to be”), used as a noun.[6][2][7] GRADIT sets French intéresser, recorded in 1423, beside the Italian verb, and DELI notes that the purists of the early 19th century rejected several of its senses as French.[7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the noun, in the 14th-century statutes of the Florentine silk guild, for a person who has an interest in something.[6][5] The adjective “having an interest” is first found in Benvenuto Cellini, before 1571, of a man with a stake in selling a large diamond to the Duke.[6][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century interessato took the moral sense “greedy, out for one's own advantage”: DELI's first record is Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger (1618), whose Fiera lists Interessati, avari, e ambizïosi (“the self-interested, the greedy and the ambitious”).[6][8] The opposite disinteressato followed in the same century.[2]

The economic sense “having a share in a business” is still used, and modern Italian adds “affected by”, of areas reached by bad weather or organs reached by disease.[7][3][9] In bureaucratic use l'interessato is the person concerned, and il diretto interessato the person most directly involved.[7][9][10]

Timeline

  • 14th century – The noun interessato appears in the statutes of the Arte della Seta.[6][5]
  • Before 1571 – Cellini uses the adjective.[6][4]
  • 1618 – Michelangelo Buonarroti the Younger uses it for a self-seeking person.[6]
  • 17th century – Disinteressato is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. interested (in something, with a): Sono molto interessato al tuo progetto.[7][3][5][1]
  2. Having a share or a stake in a business or affair (with in): È interessato in una società di trasporti.[7][3][5]
  3. self-interested, acting for one's own gain; of an act, dictated by self-interest: Quel regalo mi sembra un gesto interessato.[7][3][5][1]
  4. Affected or involved (with da): Il quartiere interessato dai lavori resterà chiuso al traffico.[7][3][9]

Noun

  1. A person who is interested in something: Gli interessati riceveranno una lettera.[7][9][1]
  2. (bureaucratic) The person concerned: il diretto interessato.[7][9][10]

Word family

  • interessatamente
  • disinteressato

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d e f 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 Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  5. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 d e f g h i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  8. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b c d e 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
Cite this entry

“Interessato.” Etymologically, 22 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/it/interessato. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·