Etymologically
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sorpresa

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Pronunciation

  • /sorˈpre.za/, /sorˈpre.sa/[1]

Forms

sorpresa f (plural sorprese)[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine of sorpreso, the past participle of sorprendere, used as a noun.[2][3][4][1] The verb is formed from Italian sor- + prendere, literally “to take from above”, and DELI sees it at least in part as a calque, Nocentini as a loan, of French surprendre.[2][3][1]

The senses of the noun follow surprise: Old French sorprise is recorded about 1160 for the act of surprising, and the French word was used for an astonishing event from 1549 and for astonishment from 1649.[2][3][5] Treccani and Sabatini–Coletti call the sense “astonishing thing” a calque of the French word.[6][7] DEI also records an older Old Italian sorpriso in the 13th century and in Dante, in rhyme.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT dates the word to 1585, in the military sense “surprise attack”;[9][2] DELI's first record, in Francesco Panigarola before 1594, is the act of surprising.[9][2] Panigarola writes “Per far sorprese non molta gente si richiede, ma scelta” (to make surprise attacks one needs not many men, but picked ones).[10] DELI rejects an earlier record given by the Crusca and Tommaseo as a forgery.[2]

Semantic evolution

In the 17th century the word was mostly military: Tommaseo quotes writers on fortification and cavalry who speak of scalate o sorprese, escalades or surprise attacks.[11][10] The sense “astonishment” is recorded in Frugoni in 1680, and DEI dates “an unexpected thing” to Antonio Cesari in the 18th century.[2][8]

In modern Italian a sorpresa is also an unannounced visit, the small gift inside an Easter egg, and a kind of pasta for broth shaped like an unfilled cappelletto.[9][5] The phrases a sorpresa and di sorpresa mean “unexpected, unawares”.[9][12][6]

Timeline

  • About 1160 – Old French sorprise “act of surprising”.[2]
  • 1585 – Sorpresa “surprise attack”.[9]
  • Before 1594 – Francesco Panigarola uses the word.[2]
  • 1680 – Francesco Frugoni uses it for astonishment.[2]
  • 18th century – Sorpresa “unexpected thing” in Antonio Cesari.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. surprise, astonishment at something unexpected: Lo guardò con un’espressione di sorpresa.[9][5][7][12]
  2. An unexpected event that causes surprise, pleasant or not: Il risultato delle elezioni è stato una sorpresa per tutti.[9][5][7]
  3. Something done or given unexpectedly to please someone: Per il suo compleanno gli abbiamo preparato una sorpresa.[9][13][6]
  4. The small gift hidden inside an Easter egg or a sweet.[9][5][7]
  5. (military) A surprise attack meant to catch the enemy unprepared.[9][10]
  6. An unannounced visit.[9]
  7. A kind of pasta for broth, like a cappelletto without filling.[9]

Word family

  • sorpresina

Usage notes

Di sorpresa “unawares” goes with cogliere or prendere: cogliere qualcuno di sorpresa;[12][6][13] a sorpresa “surprise” follows a noun, as in festa a sorpresa.[12][6][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j 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 Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  4. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  7. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  8. ^ a b c Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3559
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  10. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 19, 500
  11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  12. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  13. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli