mantenere

Forms

mantenere (first-person singular present mantèngo, first-person singular past historic manténni or mantènni, past participle mantenùto, first-person singular future manterrò, auxiliary avére)^[1] The fuller form Old Italian manutenere is used in a Sienese statute of 1288, and the GDLI also records old mantenne.^[2][3] Conjugated like tenere: io mantengo, manterrò, mantenni.^[1][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *manūtenēre (“to keep, support”), from a phrase meaning “to hold with the hand”, from the ablative of Latin manus (“hand”) and teneō (“to hold”).^[5][6][4][1] Nocentini glosses the compound as “to keep under the protection of the hand”.^[5] Wiktionary treats it as Late Latin; the GDLI calls the Italian verb learned.^[1][3]

The word is shared with the western Romance languages: French maintenir, Occitan mantener, Catalan mantenir, Spanish mantener, Portuguese manter and Romansh mantnair in the Engadine.^[5][7][8] Its Medieval Latin derivative manutenentia gave French maintenance in the 13th century.^[8] The Latin verb for “to hold” goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ten- (“to stretch”).^[9] The origin of the word for “hand” is disputed.^[1][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first records, before 1250, are in the Sicilian poets Frederick II and Odo delle Colonne, with the sense “to make something last, keep it going”.^[2] Frederick advises the wise man never to be carried away by good fortune but always to keep up courtesy (mantegna cortesia).^[3]

Semantic evolution

The other main senses appear in the 13th and 14th centuries: “to conserve” in Lotto Pisano about 1285, “to protect, defend” and “to keep, fulfil” (a promise, an obligation) in a Sienese butchers' statute of 1288, “to provide for the running of something” in Brunetto Latini before 1294, and “to provide someone with a living” in Paolo da Certaldo before 1370.^[2] The reflexive mantenersi “to support oneself” is in Monaldo da Sofena before 1293, and the sense “to stay, remain” in Bonagiunta Orbicciani before about 1257.^[2]

The past participle used as a noun, mantenuto, a man kept by a lover, is recorded in 1863, and mantenuta in the 19th century.^[5][8] In southern Italy the verb can still mean “to hold in one's hand”, close to the Latin phrase.^[1] German borrowed mantenieren about 1638.^[10]

Timeline

• Before 1250 – Frederick II and Odo delle Colonne use mantenere.^[2]
• Before 1257 – Bonagiunta Orbicciani has the sense “to stay, remain”.^[2]
• About 1285 – Lotto Pisano uses it for “to conserve”.^[2]
• 1288 – A Sienese statute has manutenere “to keep, observe”.^[2]
• Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for the upkeep of something.^[2]
• Before 1370 – Paolo da Certaldo uses it for “to provide a living for”.^[2]
• About 1638 – German mantenieren is recorded.^[10]
• 1863 – The noun mantenuto is first recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To maintain, to keep up, make something last unchanged: mantenere buoni rapporti con i vicini.^[6][4][11]
2. To keep in a certain state or condition: Il ghiaccio mantiene fresco il pesce.^[6][4][12]
3. To hold, defend (a position, a title): La squadra ha mantenuto il primo posto.^[6][11][12]
4. To keep (a promise, one's word): mantenere la parola data.^[6][4][11]
5. To support, to provide someone with the means to live: Lavora per mantenere i figli agli studi.^[4][11][12]
6. To pay for and look after the running of something; to upkeep: mantenere le strade.^[4][11][12]
7. (reflexive, mantenersi) To support oneself; to stay, remain (mantenersi in forma).^[4][11][6]

Word family

• mantenimento
• mantenuto
• mantenitore
• mantenibile

Related words

• manutenzione
• mano
• tenere
• French maintenir
• Spanish mantener

Usage notes

As a wish or thanks, Dio ti mantenga! means “may God keep you in good health”.^[6] Mantenere la linea is to keep one's figure.^[2][6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 2355
9. ^ a b de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ a b Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
11. ^ a b c d e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
12. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana