sistemare

Forms

sistemare (first-person singular present sistèmo, first-person singular past historic sistemài, past participle sistemàto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed in from Italian sistema + -are.^[2][3][1] The noun is borrowed from Late Latin systēma, from Ancient Greek σύστημα (sýstēma, “a whole made of parts; gathering”), from συνίστημι (synístēmi, “to put together”), a compound of σύν (sýn, “with”) and ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to set, place”).^[4][5] DELI traces the last to the root Proto-Indo-European *sthā- (“to stand”).^[4]

DELI and GRADIT date the verb to 1772, but Zingarelli gives 1668.^[4][2][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, in Pietro Verri in 1772, has the sense “to organize into a system”: “Noi trattiamo sempre di sistemare e semplificare: sono le due parole magiche del giorno” (we are always busy systematizing and simplifying: they are the two magic words of the day).^[4]

Semantic evolution

Bernardoni recorded the sense “to arrange, tidy, put in order” in 1812, and the sense “to settle, solve” is in the Milanese press in 1816.^[4] Tommaseo still found it improper to sistemare a house or one's papers in 1873, allowing the verb only for ordering a science, a terminology or a state.^[4][7]

The reflexive sistemarsi “to find suitable lodgings” is in Mazzini before 1872.^[4] Panzini's dictionary recorded “to find someone a job” and, of a girl, sistemarsi “to get married” in 1935; in 1942 Panzini corrected the definition to marrying for convenience more than for love.^[4] The colloquial “to punish, to give someone what they deserve” and “to marry off” are recorded in 1960.^[4]

Timeline

• 1668 – Zingarelli's date for the verb.^[6]
• 1772 – Pietro Verri uses sistemare “to systematize”.^[4][2]
• 1812 – Bernardoni records the sense “to put in order”.^[4]
• 1816 – The sense “to settle, resolve” is in the Milanese press.^[4]
• Before 1872 – Mazzini uses sistemarsi “to find lodgings”.^[4]
• 1935 – Panzini records “to find a job for” and sistemarsi “to get married”.^[4]
• 1960 – The senses “to punish” and “to marry off” are recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To arrange, to put in order or in place: Prima di cena sistemo i libri sugli scaffali nuovi.^[2][8][3][1]
2. To place something where it fits: Abbiamo sistemato il divano sotto la finestra.^[2][8][3]
3. To organize into a system; to set an administration or a business in order.^[2][6][9]
4. To fix, to repair; to adjust: Il meccanico ha sistemato i freni della bicicletta.^[2][8][1]
5. (figurative) To settle, to resolve: Dobbiamo sistemare questa faccenda prima delle vacanze.^[2][8][3][1]
6. To lodge, to find somewhere to stay: Hanno sistemato gli ospiti nella stanza in fondo al corridoio.^[2][8][6]
7. To find someone a steady job; to provide for someone financially.^[2][8][6]
8. (colloquial) To marry off, especially to advantage.^[2][8][9]
9. (colloquial) To punish, to give someone a lesson.^[8][3][6]
10. (reflexive, sistemarsi) To settle in; to find lodgings, a job, or a husband or wife.^[6][9][10]

Word family

• sistemazione
• risistemare
• sistemabile
• sistematore

Related words

• sistema
• sistematico

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k 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 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
5. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
6. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
7. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b c Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
10. ^ Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli