mancanza

Forms

mancanza f (plural mancanze)^[1] An old form is mancansa.^[2]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian mancare + -anza.^[3][4][5][1] Zingarelli derives it from the participle mancante instead.^[6] The verb mancare is a denominal verb from the adjective manco (“defective, lacking”), and keeps its idea of something missing or faulty.^[7][5] The adjective is Latin mancus (“maimed, crippled”), formed from manus (“hand”) with the suffix -cus used for bodily defects, as in caecus (“blind”), so that it first meant “lacking a hand”.^[7][5]

The Italian verb was borrowed as French manquer, with the same senses, while Spanish mancar (“to maim”) was formed separately.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is from Monte Andrea in the 13th century, in the sense “imperfection, error”.^[7] The general sense, the fact of something being missing, follows in Dante's Convivio (1304–1308), where false riches promise to take away every thirst and every mancanza.^[7][3][2]

Semantic evolution

From “lack” the word came to mean a scarcity or shortage of something, and the absence of a person, including one who has died.^[3][8][9] A moral sense, a failure in one's duty or a fault, is recorded before 1419 in Dominici.^[7] The phrase in mancanza di meglio, “for want of anything better”, is recorded in Tommaseo's dictionary of 1869.^[7]

In 1942 mancanza di sensibilità was recorded as a political formula much used in journalism, meaning a lack of sensitivity to the demands of the moment.^[7] A rarer sense is a fainting fit.^[4][6][10]

Timeline

• 13th century – Monte Andrea uses mancanza for an imperfection.^[7]
• 1304–1308 – Dante uses it for something missing.^[7][3]
• Before 1419 – Dominici uses it for a fault.^[7]
• 1869 – in mancanza di meglio is recorded by Tommaseo.^[7]
• 1942 – mancanza di sensibilità is noted as a journalistic formula.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. lack, shortage: the fact that something is missing or not there in sufficient quantity: la mancanza d'acqua nei mesi estivi.^[3][9][6]
2. The absence of a person, felt by others, or the loss of someone who has died.^[3][9][10]
3. (figurative) A failure in one's duty, a fault or slip.^[3][9][6]
4. An imperfection or defect.^[6][10][11]
5. (uncommon) A fainting fit.^[4][6][10]

Word family

• mancanzuola

Related words

• mancante
• mancare
• manco
• mancamento
• French manquer

Usage notes

In mancanza di means “for want of, in the absence of”, and per mancanza di “because of a lack of”.^[3][9] Sentire la mancanza di qualcuno is “to miss someone”.^[3] A mancanza disciplinare is a breach of military discipline.^[6][9]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ a b c Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ 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
8. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
9. ^ 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
10. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
11. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli