Etymologically
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intervento

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Pronunciation

  • /in.terˈvɛn.to/[1]

Forms

intervento m (plural interventi)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin interventus (“a coming between; intervention”), a learned word.[2][3][4][5][6] The Latin noun is formed from interveniō (“to come between, intervene”), the source of Italian intervenire.[3][5][7][1] That verb is made of inter (“between”) and veniō (“to come”).[8] Wiktionary traces veniō to Proto-Italic *gʷəniō and Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-.[1]

DEI notes the related Latin interventor “visitor” in Cicero and “guarantor, intercessor” in later legal writers, and a popular outcome in Walloon treven and entrefen.[4] Zingarelli dates the Italian word from 1499, DELI and GRADIT from before 1540.[9][2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Guicciardini, before 1540, for the act of intervening.[2][5] In the passage the GDLI quotes, the king was to leave two ambassadors in Florence, without whose intervento (presence, participation) nothing was to be discussed.[8]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th and 17th centuries the word mostly meant presence or participation, as in Botero's lawsuits settled without the intervento of anyone but the parties and the judge.[8] The political sense of one state's interference in another's affairs is recorded in 1851;[2] M. Leopardi spoke of the principle of non intervento in 1831, and Tommaseo records the massima del non-intervento in 1869.[2]

The legal sense of joining a lawsuit as a party dates from 1880, the surgical sense of an operation from 1917–18 and the sense of a speech in a debate from 1957.[2] DEI records interventista from 1915 for a supporter of Italy's entry into the First World War, and interventismo from the 20th century.[4] Pronto intervento names an emergency service.[8][7]

Timeline

  • 1499 – Zingarelli's first date for the word.[9]
  • Before 1540 – Guicciardini uses intervento.[2][5]
  • 1831 – M. Leopardi speaks of the principle of non intervento.[2]
  • 1851 – The sense of a state's interference in another state's affairs is recorded.[2]
  • 1880 – The legal sense of intervening in a lawsuit is recorded.[2]
  • 1915 – Interventista is recorded for a supporter of entering the war.[4]
  • 1917–1918 – The surgical sense “operation” is recorded.[2]
  • 1957 – The sense “speech in a debate” is recorded.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. intervention: taking an active part in a situation to change its course, or the action taken: Grazie all’intervento dei vigili del fuoco l’incendio è stato spento.[5][7][10]
  2. Presence, participation at an event: La cerimonia si è svolta con l’intervento del sindaco.[5][10][11]
  3. A speech or contribution in a debate or meeting: Il suo intervento al convegno è stato molto applaudito.[5][10][11]
  4. (medicine) A surgical operation: intervento chirurgico.[11][1][2]
  5. (politics) The interference of a state or international body in another state's affairs: politica di non intervento.[7][10][2]
  6. (sport) An action by a player, especially a tackle: un intervento falloso.[5][7]
  7. (building) Restoration or consolidation work on a building.[7][5]
  8. (law) The entry of a third party into a lawsuit between others.[11][2]

Word family

  • interventismo
  • interventista
  • interventistico

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o 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 Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2067
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ 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
  9. ^ a b Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  10. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  11. ^ a b c d Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli