Etymologically
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sostenere

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Pronunciation

  • /sos.teˈne.re/[1]

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

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