sentimentale

Forms

sentimentale m or f by sense (plural sentimentali)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Italian sentimento + -ale on a foreign model.^[2][3][1] Devoto–Oli, Sabatini–Coletti and Treccani name the model as the English word sentimental, made current by Laurence Sterne's novel A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy (1768); Nocentini, Zingarelli and Gabrielli name French sentimental, and the GDLI both.^{[4][3][5][6][7][8][9]} Etymonline dates English “sentimental” to 1749, formed from sentiment and -al, and says the French word is taken from English.^[10] sentimento itself is from Medieval Latin sentimentum.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT's first record is in L. Angiolini's Lettere sull'Inghilterra (1790).^[2] Migliorini took the word to have been introduced with the first Italian translation of Sterne's Sentimental Journey in 1792.^[11] A. L. Messeri observed that this booklet put the first record back by 21 years, though the word truly entered the language only with Foscolo.^[11] The first sense is “relating to feeling or the feelings”.^[11]

Semantic evolution

Foscolo's translation of Sterne, published in 1813 as Viaggio sentimentale, made the title a name for a literary genre between the pathetic and the ironic.^[5] The sense of a person given to tender, gentle and melancholy feelings, even in an affected way, is recorded in 1839–41 (Molossi).^[11] Tommaseo marked the word as foreign and advised malinconico, gentile, affettuoso or simpatico instead.^[12]

In the 19th and 20th centuries the GDLI quotes it from Mazzini, D'Annunzio, Deledda and Tozzi, often of an affected tenderness.^[9] Today it is used both of the emotional and love life (vita sentimentale) and, often ironically, of people and works that indulge in feeling.^[2][3]

Timeline

• 1749 – English sentimental is recorded.^[10]
• 1768 – Sterne's A Sentimental Journey is published.^[4][5]
• 1790 – L. Angiolini uses sentimentale.^[2]
• 1792 – The first Italian translation of Sterne's book appears.^[11]
• 1813 – Foscolo publishes his translation as Viaggio sentimentale.^[5]
• 1839–1841 – Molossi records the sense “tender, melancholy”.^[11]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to the feelings, especially to love: una delusione sentimentale (a disappointment in love).^[2][4][13]
2. Meant to stir a languid, tender emotion: un romanzo sentimentale.^[2][4][3]
3. Of a person: tender-hearted and romantic, given to melancholy feelings; often sentimental in a pejorative sense.^[2][3][7]

Noun

1. A sentimental person: Sotto la scorza è un sentimentale.^[2][7][13]

Word family

• sentimentalismo
• sentimentalità
• sentimentalmente
• sentimentalone
• sentimentaloide
• sentimentalista

Related words

• sentimento
• sentire
• English sentimental

Usage notes

The augmentative sentimentalone is jocular, for someone who parades his feelings.^[5]

References

1. ^ a b c 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 Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d e Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
8. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
9. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
10. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
11. ^ a b c d e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana