sofferenza

Forms

sofferenza f (plural sofferenze)^[1] Older forms are Old Italian soferenza, Old Italian soffrenza and Old Italian sofrenza.^[2][3][4] Pisan sofferensa is recorded in the 13th century.^[5]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin sufferentia (“endurance, patience”), from sufferēns, the present participle of sufferō (“to bear, endure”).^{[6][3][7][4][1]} The Late Latin word is found in Tertullian and the Vulgate.^[5] Sabatini–Coletti instead takes it as formed from Italian soffrire + -enza.^[8]

The same Latin word gave French souffrance, recorded from the 12th century, Old Occitan sufrensa, which meant “permission”, Spanish sufrencia and Romanian suferință.^[9][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT dates the first record before 1250, in the old form soferenza.^[2] DEI finds the word in the 13th-century Italian version of Albertano, for pain of body or mind, and DELI's first record of the sense “the act of suffering” is from Guido Cavalcanti, before 1300.^[5][10] Tommaseo quotes the Albertano text for endurance: La sofferenza è virtude che porta ugualmente gl'impeti delle ingiurie ed ogni avversitade (“endurance is the virtue that bears alike the assaults of injuries and every adversity”).^[11]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian kept the Latin sense of patience and tolerance, found in Iacopone in the 13th century, beside “delay”, and in the 14th century also “constancy”.^[5] Boccaccio writes of Gualtieri's ultima pruova della sofferenza (“last test of the patience”) of his wife, and Goldoni still uses the sense; today it is archaic.^[11][12][2]

The banking sense, a delay in paying a debt, is recorded by Tommaseo in 1873, but Molossi had already listed it in 1839–1841 as a Gallicism.^[10] Credits in sofferenza are those not repaid when due, and the plural sofferenze names such bad debts.^[8][7][12]

Timeline

• Before 1250 – The form soferenza is first recorded.^[2]
• 1200s – The Italian Albertano uses sofferenza for pain of body or mind.^[5]
• 1200s – Iacopone uses it for endurance, patience.^[5]
• Before 1300 – Guido Cavalcanti uses it for suffering.^[10]
• 1839–1841 – Molossi lists the banking sense as a Gallicism.^[10]
• 1873 – Tommaseo records the banking sense.^[10]

Meanings

Noun

1. suffering: the condition of one who suffers in body or mind: Non sopportava la sofferenza degli animali abbandonati.^[2][3][12]
2. (often plural) pain, torment, what makes one suffer: Dopo anni di sofferenze è finalmente guarito.^[2][3][4]
3. (archaic) patience, endurance, tolerance.^[2][8][12]
4. (banking) A delay in paying a debt: in sofferenza, of a credit not repaid when due; in the plural, such bad debts.^[2][3][4][8]

Word family

• insofferenza

Related words

• sofferente
• soffrire
• French souffrance

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ 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
3. ^ 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
4. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
5. ^ a b c d e f g Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3525
6. ^ Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
8. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
9. ^ Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
10. ^ a b c d e Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c d Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)