involto

Forms

involto m (plural involti)^[1] Old Italian also has envolto, in Iacopone da Todi.^[2][3]

Etymology

It is from Italian involgere (“to wrap”): its past participle, used as an adjective and then as a noun.^{[2][4][5][6][7]} Wiktionary takes the participle from Vulgar Latin *involtus, from *involvitus or *involŭtus, for Latin involūtus.^[1] Zingarelli and Gabrielli derive the noun instead from involtare.^[8][9]

Involgere is involvō (“to roll up, wrap”), a compound of the intensive in- and volvō (“to roll”), adapted to Italian volgere.^[2][4] DEI compares volto and disinvolto.^[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI dates the participle and adjective to 1293–94, in Dante, and the form envolto to before 1306, in Iacopone.^[2] In the Vita Nuova Dante sees a person asleep, naked but for being lightly wrapped (involta) in a crimson cloth.^[3] DEI dates the participle to the 13th century at Padua.^[10]

Semantic evolution

As an adjective involto meant wrapped or covered, and figuratively entangled in vice or error, as in Dante's Chi nel diletto della carne involto / s'affaticava (“who toiled wrapped in the delight of the flesh”).^[6][11] Dante also has trees with branches “not straight, but knotted and twisted” (non rami schietti, ma nodosi e 'nvolti), the source of the literary sense “twisted”.^[5][12][6]

The noun, a bundle or parcel, is first recorded in 1494 in Bibbiena; the sense “material that wraps something” follows before 1705, in F. Nomi.^[2] Its diminutive involtino meant first a small parcel (in Dati, before 1676); since before 1936, in Viani, it has also been a slice of meat rolled round a filling and stewed.^[2] In botany involto was an old synonym of invoglio.^[12]

Timeline

• 1293–1294 – Dante uses involto as a participle and adjective.^[2]
• Before 1306 – Iacopone da Todi has the form envolto.^[2]
• 1494 – Bibbiena uses involto as a noun, “bundle”.^[2]
• 1513 – Zingarelli's date for the noun.^[8]
• Before 1676 – Involtino “small parcel” is recorded.^[2]
• Before 1705 – Involto means the material that wraps something.^[2]
• Before 1936 – Involtino names a rolled slice of meat.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. A bundle or parcel, a quickly made package; a fagotto: Teneva sulle ginocchia un involto di giornali.^{[13][5][6][1]}
2. (uncommon) The material that wraps something; a covering, an involucro.^[13][5][6]
3. (botany, obsolete) The same as invoglio.^[13][12]

Adjective

1. Past participle of involgere: wrapped, covered.^[13][9]
2. (literary) twisted, gnarled.^[13][5][8]
3. (figurative) Caught up or entangled in something.^[6][9]

Word family

• involtino
• involtare

Related words

• involgere
• disinvolto
• volto
• Latin involūtus

Usage notes

GRADIT and Zingarelli also list involto as the poetic past participle of involvere, a learned verb directly from Latin involvere.^[13][8]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
4. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
5. ^ 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
6. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
7. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
8. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
9. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
10. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2086
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
13. ^ a b c d e f De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET