squadrare

Forms

squadrare (first-person singular present squàdro, first-person singular past historic squadrài, past participle squadràto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *exquadrāre (“to make square”), formed with ex- on Latin quadrāre (“to make square; to fit”), from quadrus (“square”).^[2][3][4][1] The same verb is Occitan escairar and French équarrir, which moved to another conjugation.^[3][5][4] The form Medieval Latin scadrare is recorded at Cervia in 1331.^[2][6]

Squadra and squadro are back-formations from the verb.^[2] Nocentini separates the noun for the drawing instrument from the same noun as an arrangement in a square, and so a group of four.^[3] The Latin adjective belongs with quattuor (“four”).^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

GRADIT's first record is Dante, before 1313, in the sense “to show”: the thief in the Inferno raises both hands in an obscene gesture, crying Togli, Dio, ch'a te le squadro, “Take that, God, I show them to you”.^[7][2]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to cut to a square section”, of stone and timber, is recorded in Italian in 1440–1447;^[2][6] Leonardo and Palladio use it of masons and stonecutters.^[2][6] “To look someone over closely”, as if measuring him, is in Antonio Pucci before 1388 and in Luigi Pulci.^[2][8] DELI dates the geometrical sense “to lay out at right angles” to Ariosto (1516).^[2]

Later technical uses include ruling the frame of a drawing sheet with set square and compasses, dividing land with surveying instruments, and in old artillery, checking that a gun sat true on its carriage.^[7][9]

Timeline

• Before 1313 – Dante uses squadrare “to show”.^[7]
• 1331 – Medieval Latin scadrare is recorded at Cervia.^[2]
• Before 1388 – Antonio Pucci uses it for “to look over closely”.^[2]
• 1440–1447 – it is used for “to cut square”.^[2]
• 1516 – Ariosto uses it for “to lay out at right angles”.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. To check or set at right angles with a square; to rule the frame of a drawing sheet.^[7][9]
2. To cut or shape into a square or rectangular section: squadrare una trave.^[7][9]
3. To divide land into regular plots with surveying instruments.^[7][9]
4. (figurative) To look someone up and down, scrutinize: il portiere ci squadrò dalla testa ai piedi.^[7][9][1]
5. (intransitive) To be square, at right angles: lo stipite non squadra.^[7][1]
6. (literary) To show.^[7][1]

Word family

• squadra
• squadro
• squadrato
• squadratura
• squadratore
• squadrino
• risquadrare

Related words

• quadrare
• quadro
• Latin quadrus
• French équarrir

Usage notes

Squadrare is also a literary variant of squartare “to quarter”, through Old Italian squatrare;^[7][9][8] GRADIT gives it a separate headword.^[7][9][8] GDLI records an old squadrare “to turn aside”, formed from ex- and quadrare.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975)
5. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
6. ^ a b c d Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca
7. ^ 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
8. ^ a b c Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti
9. ^ a b c d e f g Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli