Etymologically
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rispetto

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Pronunciation

  • /risˈpɛt.to/[1]

Forms

rispetto m (plural rispetti)[1]

Etymology

It is a learned word, borrowed from Latin respectus (“a looking back; regard, consideration”), the action noun of respiciō (“to look back, have regard for”), from re- (“back”) and speciō (“to look”).[2][3][4][5] Latin already moved from the literal “looking back” to “regard, esteem”.[5] The verb rispettare is from respectō, the intensive of that verb, and is recorded later, in 1341–1342.[5][2]

The inherited French form of the Latin noun is Old French respit (“respite, delay”), which was borrowed in Old Italian as respitto or rispitto.[5][6][7] French respect and Spanish respeto are learned words like the Italian one.[2][6] The Latin verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- (“to look”), the root also of Sanskrit पश्यति (páśyati, “sees”).[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Bono Giamboni's Della miseria dell'uomo, before 1292, for the feeling of esteem towards persons held to be superior, or towards principles and institutions.[5][3] Giordano da Pisa (1305–1306) has the sense “point of view, aspect”, and Boccaccio “regard, consideration”: per rispetto della madre di lui (out of regard for his mother).[5][9]

Semantic evolution

The sense “restraint that keeps one from offending others or harming their rights” is in Machiavelli (before 1527), and “observance of a rule” in Paolo Paruta (before 1598).[5] In the plural, rispetti became the ceremonies and tokens of reverence: Borghini has it in 1584, and, from the late 17th century i miei rispetti was a set formula in letters.[5]

From the 15th century rispetto was also a short popular love poem, usually a stanza in ottava or sesta rima, especially in Tuscany: Pulci (before 1484) and Lorenzo de' Medici wrote them, and Varchi counted them among the componimenti plebei.[5][10] German took the poem's name as Rispetto.[11] The Mafia's uomo di rispetto is a man of rank in the organisation.[12][13]

Timeline

  • Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses rispetto for esteem.[5]
  • 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses it for a point of view.[5]
  • 1341–1342 – Boccaccio uses the verb rispettare.[5]
  • Before 1484 – Luigi Pulci writes rispetti, the poems.[5]
  • Before 1527 – Machiavelli uses it for consideration of others' rights.[5]
  • 1584 – Raffaello Borghini has the plural rispetti for tokens of reverence.[5]

Meanings

Noun

  1. respect, esteem and deference towards a person thought worthy: Parla con rispetto a tuo nonno.[3][13][14][1]
  2. (plural) Respects, regards: Porga i miei rispetti a sua moglie.[3][13][1]
  3. Regard for the dignity and rights of others: il rispetto per le opinioni altrui.[3][12][15]
  4. Care for things: Tratta i libri con rispetto.[3][13]
  5. Strict observance of a rule: il rispetto delle regole.[3][14][1]
  6. Point of view, aspect: sotto ogni rispetto.[3][13][15]
  7. rispetto a: with regard to; compared with: Rispetto a ieri fa più freddo.[13][12][15]
  8. di tutto rispetto: considerable, highly respectable: una cifra di tutto rispetto.[13][12]
  9. (literature) A short popular love poem, mostly in eight or six lines.[3][14][11]
  10. (printing) foglio di rispetto: the flyleaf.[14][13]

Word family

  • rispettoso
  • rispettivo
  • corrispettivo
  • rispettabile

Usage notes

Con rispetto parlando is said to excuse a coarse or blunt word: il bambino, con rispetto parlando, se l'è fatta addosso.[13][12][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  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. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  7. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
  8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  9. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 16, 858
  10. ^ Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3264
  11. ^ a b Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  12. ^ a b c d e Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  14. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  15. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  16. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli