Etymologically
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riuscita

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Pronunciation

  • /ri.uʃˈʃi.ta/[1]

Forms

riuscita f (plural riuscite)[1]

Etymology

It is from Italian riuscire + -ita, the feminine of the past participle used as a noun.[2][3][4][1] Zingarelli and Gabrielli take it from the adjective riuscito.[5][6] The verb riuscire is uscire with the prefix ri-, iterative or intensive; it first meant “to come out, to end up” and then “to end well, to succeed”.[7][8] That verb is Latin exeō (“to go out”), with its first vowel taken from uscio (“door”).[7][8]

French réussir was borrowed from the Italian verb, and French réussite from the noun, first in the sense “result” (1583) and then “success” (1639).[8][9] Romanian reușită was borrowed in turn.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in the chronicle of Giovanni Villani (before 1348), in the sense “the way a thing turns out”: “Piaccia a Dio che sia con buona riuscita la loro signoria” (“May it please God that their rule turn out well”).[7][10] GRADIT dates the word before 1384.[2]

Semantic evolution

Boccaccio uses it for the end of a story, which may come to a splendid riuscita after many miseries.[10][4] The sense “a good showing, a proof of one's ability” is in Paolo Giovio, before 1552, and the LEI records it from about 1550 in Vasari.[7][11] People could make a good or a bad riuscita, turn out well or badly: Berni warns his friend that his way of life will lead to a sad one.[10]

The sense “outlet, exit” of old texts is now rare.[2][5][3] In 1877 Fanfani and Arlìa condemned non riuscita “failure” as a wrong and graceless usage.[7] Today the word is also used of how well a product wears.[2][12]

Timeline

  • Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses riuscita “outcome”.[7]
  • c. 1550 – Vasari uses it for a proof of one's abilities.[11]
  • Before 1552 – Paolo Giovio uses it for “a good showing”.[7]
  • 1583 – French réussite “result” is recorded.[9]
  • 1639 – French réussite “success” is recorded.[9]
  • 1877 – Fanfani and Arlìa condemn non riuscita.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The outcome of an action or event, especially a good one: Tutti lavorano per la riuscita della mostra.[2][12][3]
  2. Personal success: Ha fatto un'ottima riuscita come medico.[2][12][4]
  3. How well a product performs or lasts: Questa giacca ha fatto una buona riuscita.[2][12][4]
  4. (rare) An outlet, an exit.[2][12][3]
  5. (obsolete) Conclusion.[2][5]

Usage notes

Riuscita is also the feminine past participle of riuscire (la torta è riuscita bene).[13][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ 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
  3. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  4. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  5. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
  7. ^ 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
  8. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  9. ^ a b c Stammerjohann, Harro, et al. (2008), Dizionario di italianismi in francese, inglese, tedesco, Firenze: Accademia della Crusca; online at difit.italianisticaonline.it
  10. ^ a b c Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  11. ^ a b Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 22, 291
  12. ^ a b c d e Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  13. ^ Wikizionario (Italian Wiktionary), it.wiktionary.org