riunione

Forms

riunione f (plural riunioni)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian riunire + -ione, on the model of French réunion, recorded in 1468.^[2][3][4][5] Zingarelli, Treccani and Devoto analyse it instead as ri- and unione.^[6][7][8] DELI and Nocentini treat it under the verb.^[9][10]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT dates the word before 1626, and DELI's first record is Paolo Segneri in 1673, in the sense “act of reuniting”.^[2][9] Segneri writes of God's grace urging a soul divided from itself to “treat of reunion” (trattare di riunione).^[11] Zingarelli has an earlier date, before 1557.^[6]

Semantic evolution

At first the word meant the joining of separate things and, in Paolo Sarpi, agreement between divided doctrines.^[5] Leopardi complained that the universal union promoted by philosophy had turned into a separation of individuals (La riunione universale promossa dalla egregia filosofia s'è convertita in una separazione individuale).^[5]

The meaning now most common, “a meeting of several people to discuss, talk or attend an event”, is recorded in the Milanese press in 1808.^[9] The sporting sense, a set of races held on one or more days, follows in 1926, and the sense “reunion of people who had been apart, reconciliation” in 1959.^[9]

Timeline

• Before 1626 – GRADIT's first date for riunione.^[2]
• 1673 – Paolo Segneri uses it for the act of reuniting.^[9]
• 1808 – The Milanese press uses it for a meeting.^[9]
• 1926 – It is recorded for a set of sporting events.^[9]
• 1959 – It is recorded for the reunion of people who had been separated.^[9]

Meanings

Noun

1. (uncommon) The act of joining things together, and its result: la riunione dei due capi di una corda.^[2][3][6]
2. Political or territorial reunification.^[2][3]
3. A reunion of people after a separation; a reconciliation.^[2][3][6]
4. A meeting, a gathering of people for a common purpose: La riunione è stata rinviata a lunedì.^[2][3][4]
5. The people gathered at such a meeting.^[2][12]
6. (sports) A meeting, a series of races or bouts of one kind: una riunione di atletica.^[2][3][6]

Related words

• riunire
• riunirsi
• unione
• unire
• French réunion

Usage notes

Libertà di riunione is the right of assembly.^[2]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 16, 1010
6. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
10. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli