rovente

Forms

rovente m or f by sense (plural roventi)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin rubēns (“reddening, glowing red”), through its accusative, the present participle of rubeō (“to be red”).^[2][3][4][1] The Latin verb is derived from ruber (“red”).^[3][5][6] Nocentini explains the Italian sense by iron put in the forge, which turns red as it heats.^[3] DELI sets beside it rubēscō (“to turn red”), from which the Sienese verb rovire “to make red-hot” comes.^[2][7] DEI adds that Siena used rovito in the same sense (1427, San Bernardino).^[8] The learned doublet is rubente.^[1]

De Vaan traces the Latin adjective to Proto-Indo-European *h₁rudʰrós (“red”), the source also of Ancient Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós, “red”).^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is in Bono Giamboni, before 1292, in the sense “burning hot”: in a battle the enemies hurl red-hot pots (testi roventi) with their slings and fiery lances.^[2][4][9]

Semantic evolution

The colour sense, “red like fire”, appears in Dante's Purgatorio (1313–1319), where the poet's shadow makes the flame look più rovente, which Francesco da Buti glossed as più rossicante “redder”.^[2][5] It is now obsolete or rare.^[10][5] Buti also used the word for tombs that glowed come ferro quando è nel fuoco “like iron in the fire”, the sense that has lasted.^[2][11]

Figurative senses grew from the heat: words or tears full of passion, a heated discussion, and in recent use a tense, critical period, a very serious problem or congested telephone lines.^[12][5][4] The derivative roventino, a blood sausage eaten very hot, is recorded from the 17th or 18th century, and arroventare “to make red-hot” from the 14th.^[3][8]

Timeline

• Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni has testi roventi, red-hot pots thrown at the enemy.^[2][9]
• 1313–1319 – Dante uses rovente of the red colour of a flame.^[2]
• 14th century – Francesco da Buti glosses it as “redder”.^[2]
• First half of the 14th century – Arroventare is recorded.^[3]
• 1427 – San Bernardino uses the Sienese rovito “red-hot”.^[8]
• 1618 – Buonarroti has roventino, a kind of blood pudding.^[8]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Heated until it glows: red-hot, incandescent: ferro rovente.^[4][12][13]
2. (by extension) Very hot, burning: la spiaggia era rovente a mezzogiorno.^[4][12][10]
3. (figurative) Full of intense passion or anger: parole roventi.^[4][12][10]
4. (figurative) Heated, lively; tense and critical: un dibattito rovente.^[4][12][5]
5. (obsolete) Of a bright red colour, like fire.^[10][5][4]

Word family

• arroventare
• roventino
• arroventamento
• roventezza
• roventare

Related words

• rubente
• Latin ruber

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ 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
7. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
8. ^ a b c d Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3290
9. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 17, 160
10. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
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. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana