sostenere

Forms

sostenere (first-person singular present sostèngo, first-person singular past historic sosténni or sostènni, past participle sostenùto, first-person singular future sosterrò, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Latin sustineō (“to hold up, to support; to endure”).^[2][3][4][1] Battisti and Alessio call the verb pan-Romance, but not Romanian:^[5] the same word is French soutenir, Occitan sostener, Catalan sostenir, Spanish sostener and Portuguese soster.^[3][6]

The Latin verb is a compound of sub- (“under”), in its variant sus-, and teneō (“to hold”).^[2][7][8][1] The vowel of the simple verb became /i/ in the open inner syllable, the normal Latin vowel weakening.^[9] The simple verb goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ten-.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in Bono Giamboni's Libro de' Vizî e delle Virtudi, before 1292, for bearing the weight of something.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Before the end of the 13th century the verb already had its figurative senses: to help and protect someone in the Novellino, to maintain an opinion in Brunetto Latini, and reflexively to keep oneself upright in the Tristano.^[2] In 1310–1312 Dino Compagni uses it for taking on a moral or material burden.^[2] Dante's guide con le braccia m'avvinse e mi sostenne, held him in his arms.^[10][11] Old Italian also used it for “to suffer, to endure”, “to permit”, “to keep in prison” and “to delay a payment or a delivery”, all now gone.^[5]

In 1577 Filippo Sassetti uses the verb for keeping up the price of goods, and the economic use survives in sostenere i prezzi.^[2][12] The past participle sostenuto came to mean “reserved, aloof” (before 1686), “elevated” of style (1599), a broad slow tempo in music (1858) and a sustained effort in sport (1970).^[2] The 19th century added sostenersi for keeping one's strength.^[2] Today the verb is basic vocabulary.^[4]

Timeline

• Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses sostenere “to bear a weight”.^[2]
• Late 13th century – The Novellino uses it for “to help, protect”.^[2]
• Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for “to assert”.^[2]
• 1293 – The past participle sostenuto is recorded.^[2]
• 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses sostenimento.^[2]
• Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses sostenitore.^[2]
• 1577 – Filippo Sassetti uses it of keeping prices high.^[2]
• 1682 – Lorenzo Magalotti uses sostenibile.^[2]
• 1873 – Sostenersi “to keep up one's strength” is recorded by Tommaseo–Bellini.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To support, hold up, bear the weight of: Quattro colonne sostengono il portico.^[4][7][13]
2. To keep from falling; to hold suspended.^[4][7]
3. (figurative) To help someone in difficulty: Gli amici lo hanno sostenuto dopo il lutto.^[4][7][13]
4. To back, favour, promote a cause, a party or a candidate.^[4][7][13]
5. To maintain, to assert with conviction: Sostiene di non averlo mai visto.^[4][13][12]
6. To bear a cost or a burden; to take an examination or an interview.^[4][12][13]
7. To withstand an attack or someone's gaze; to tolerate drink.^[4][8]
8. To hold an office; to play a part.^[4][12][8]
9. To keep up a price or a value; to sustain a note in singing.^[13][12][8]
10. To sustain, give strength, nourish: Questo brodo sostiene.^[13][12]
11. (reflexive, sostenersi) To stand up, to stay upright; to keep oneself going.^[13][2]

Word family

• sostegno
• sostenibile
• sostenitore
• sostenuto
• sostenimento
• sostenutezza
• insostenibile
• sostenenza

Related words

• sostentare
• tenere
• Latin sustineō

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
4. ^ 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
5. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3563
6. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
9. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
10. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
13. ^ a b c d e f g h Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse