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legato

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Italian has three words spelled legato: the past participle of legare “to tie”, used as an adjective and as a musical term; the noun “legate”, from Latin lēgātus; and the legal noun “bequest”, from Latin lēgātum.[1][2][3] DELI numbers them in this order;[1] GRADIT lists the legate and the bequest as 1 and 2 and the participle under the verbs,[3] and Nocentini puts the bequest second and the legate third.[2]

legato1 tied

Pronunciation

  • /leˈɡa.to/[4]

Forms

legato (feminine legata, masculine plural legati, feminine plural legate, superlative legatissimo)[4]

Etymology

The participle is inherited from Latin ligātus (“tied, bound”), the past participle of ligō (“to tie, bind”), which became legare.[1][2][4] The verb is pan-Romance: French lier, Occitan liar, Catalan lligar, Spanish liar, Portuguese liar, Sardinian liare and Romanian lega.[2]

The simple Latin verb is not recorded before Catullus, the earlier texts having only compounds such as alligō and obligō.[5] Its cognates are few: de Vaan accepts only Albanian lidh (“to tie”) and starts from a possible Proto-Indo-European *leyǵ- (“to tie”),[5] while Nocentini also compares Old Norse lik (“cord”) and Old Irish liog (“sinew”).[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nocentini dates the participle to the second quarter of the 13th century.[2] DELI's first record is in the sermons of Giordano da Pisa (1305), in the sense “joined, bound together”.[1]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense “awkward, lacking ease”, as of movements or speech, is in Torquato Tasso (1580).[1] The adjective also means attached by affection or interest, bound by obligations, and connected;[6][7][8] avere le mani legate is to be unable to act freely.[6][7][8] Of a book it means bound and of a gem set in metal.[9][7]

In music ligata is recorded in 1492 and legato, of notes played without a break between them, before 1590; the noun follows in 1778.[10] DELI's first record of the musical term is from 1846.[1] The term passed into French (1703), German (1732) and English (1786).[10]

Timeline

  • Second quarter of the 13th century – The participle is first recorded.[2]
  • 1305 – Giordano da Pisa uses legato for “bound together”.[1]
  • 1492 – Musical ligata is recorded.[10]
  • 1580 – Tasso uses it for “stiff, awkward”.[1]
  • Before 1590 – The musical adjective legato is recorded.[10]
  • 1703 – French borrows the musical term.[10]
  • 1778 – The musical noun is recorded.[10]
  • 1786 – English legato is first recorded.[10]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. tied, bound, fastened: Il cane era legato al cancello.[8][9][7]
  2. (figurative) Bound by obligations or conditions, avere le mani legate, to be unable to act freely.[8][6][7]
  3. (figurative) attached, close: È molto legato ai nonni.[8][9][6]
  4. Connected, linked: un aumento dei prezzi legato al costo dell'energia.[6][4]
  5. Stiff, awkward, lacking ease: Mi sento legato nei movimenti con questa giacca.[8][9][4]
  6. Of a book, bound; of a gem, set: un rubino legato in argento.[8][9][7]
  7. (music) Of notes, played without a break between them.[9][7][10]

Noun

  1. (music) legato, a smooth, unbroken way of playing.[6][11][10]

legato2 legate

Pronunciation

  • /leˈɡa.to/[4]

Forms

legato m (plural legati)[4]

Etymology

The legate is borrowed from Latin lēgātus (“envoy, deputy”), a learned word.[1][2][3][4] The Latin noun is the past participle of lēgō (“to send as envoy; to bequeath”), from its sense “to entrust someone with a task”.[1][2] Latin used it for the Pope's envoys from the 4th century.[12] Compare French légat (12th century) and Spanish legado.[2][12]

All the senses of lēgō and of its compounds involve a task or assignment, so it is explained from Latin lēx (“law”), perhaps first a “collection” of rules.[5][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in the Detto d'Amore (13th century), for a representative of the Holy See to a foreign government.[1]

Semantic evolution

Dante used the word for an ambassador in general (1304–1308).[1] For the ancient Roman office a 14th-century Libro dei fioretti della Bibbia explains it: “uno legato, cioè uno ambasciatore con grande balia”, a legate, that is, an ambassador with great powers.[1][13] A cardinal legate governed each of the provinces of the Papal States, called legazioni.[9][11] The adjective legatizio is recorded from 1869.[1]

Timeline

  • 13th century – The Detto d'Amore uses legato for a papal envoy.[1]
  • 1304–1308 – Dante uses it for an ambassador.[1]
  • 14th century – The Libro dei fioretti della Bibbia uses it for a Roman envoy.[1]
  • 1550 – Paolo Giovio uses it as an adjective.[1]
  • 1869 – Legatizio is recorded.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (history) In ancient Rome, an envoy of the senate or emperor, a provincial governor's deputy, or a general's lieutenant.[3][9][7]
  2. (history) An envoy or ambassador of a state or ruler on a temporary mission.[3][8][7]
  3. A papal legate: legato pontificio.[3][9][6]

Word family

  • legatizio

legato3 bequest

Pronunciation

  • /leˈɡa.to/[4]

Forms

legato m (plural legati)[4]

Etymology

The bequest is borrowed from Latin lēgātum (“legacy, bequest”), a learned word from Roman law: the neuter past participle, used as a noun, of the verb meaning “to leave by will”.[1][2][3][4] DELI explains that verb as “to dispose according to the law”, from Latin lēx (“law”).[1] The jurist Ulpian defined the Latin term as “quod legis modo, id est imperative, testamento relinquitur”, what is left by will in the manner of a law, that is, as a command.[13] Compare Spanish legado and Portuguese legado.[12]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is from 1286, in the spelling leghato.[1][3] Giovanni Villani (before 1348) writes of a testator who, among his other legati, left six deniers to every poor man.[1][13]

Semantic evolution

The related verb legare “to bequeath” is recorded in a Venetian will of 1321 and in Matteo Villani (before 1363), and legatario, the person who receives a bequest, before 1396.[1] Law distinguishes kinds such as the legato pio, for religious or charitable purposes, and the legato alimentario.[3][14] In literary use the word also means a heritage handed down.[6]

Timeline

  • 1286 – Leghato “bequest” is recorded.[1]
  • 1321 – The verb legare “to bequeath” appears in a Venetian will.[1]
  • Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses legati.[1]
  • Before 1396 – Legatario is recorded.[1]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (law) A bequest, a provision in a will that leaves a particular asset to someone other than the heir; also the asset itself.[3][6][7]
  2. (literary, figurative) A legacy, heritage.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 27 28 Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  5. ^ a b c de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  11. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  12. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2193
  13. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  14. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET