Etymologically
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pensata

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Pronunciation

  • /penˈsa.ta/[1]

Forms

pensata f (plural pensate)[1] Old Italian also wrote penzata.[2][3]

Etymology

It is the feminine of pensato, the past participle of pensare, used as a noun.[4][5][6][7] GRADIT and Sabatini–Coletti describe it as a derivative of the verb with the suffix -ata.[8][9] Körting compares the formation with French pensée (“thought”).[10]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLIO's first record is the Tuscan Leggenda di Gianni da Procida (1282–1299), and DELI's is Bono Giamboni, before 1292, with the sense “idea, scheme”.[2][11] In Giamboni a man must avoid the vices that would make him cadere di sua pensata, fall from his plan.[3]

Semantic evolution

In Old Italian pensata was a thought, or a set of thoughts aimed at a goal: a plan or purpose.[2][3] From the plan it came to mean a clever idea or expedient, as in Pulci's se fussi riuscito la pensata (“if the idea had worked”).[3][12]

The modern word is familiar and often ironic: bella pensata! is said of a foolish idea as much as of a good one.[3][13][5] The old phrase fuori di ogni pensata “unexpectedly” and the Tuscan proverb savie all'impensata, e pazze alla pensata are now obsolete.[6][12]

Timeline

  • 1282–1299 – Pensata appears in the Tuscan Leggenda di Gianni da Procida.[2]
  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses pensata for a plan or purpose.[11][3]
  • 15th century – Luigi Pulci uses it for a clever idea.[3][12]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A clever idea, an unexpected and effective expedient: Andare in treno è stata una buona pensata.[8][5][9]
  2. (ironic) A foolish or naive idea: Ecco un'altra delle sue pensate![5][13]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Tesoro della Lingua Italiana delle Origini (1997–), Opera del Vocabolario Italiano, CNR, Firenze; tlio.ovi.cnr.it
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  4. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d 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 Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  7. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  8. ^ a b De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  9. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  10. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  11. ^ a b Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  12. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  13. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli