studiare

Forms

studiare (first-person singular present stùdio, first-person singular past historic studiài, past participle studiàto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is a derivative of studio, with the verb ending -are;^[2][3][4][1] the noun is a learned word, borrowed from Latin studium (“zeal, eagerness; study”), from studeō (“to be eager for, apply oneself, study”).^[5][6] DEI and Prati see the verb as a learned word too, from Medieval Latin studiare, which replaced the classical verb and also gave Old French estudier (12th century).^[7][8] The same verb is Spanish estudiar, and Romanian studia is a loan.^[1]

De Vaan explains the Latin verb as a stative verb from a root Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewd- (“to push, strike”), the root of Latin tundō (“to beat”): “to be thrusting” became “to strive after”.^[9][1] Nocentini likewise sees the sense “to desire eagerly” as growing out of “to be struck”.^[6]

The inherited outcome of “studium” was Old Italian stoggio “affectation, wheedling”.^[8][10] DEI records popular dialect forms of the verb at Lucca, Pisa, Montepulciano and on Monte Amiata, and an Old Bolognese participle of the 13th century.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Nocentini and GRADIT date the verb to the second half of the 13th century.^[6][2] DELI's earliest dated sense is “to attend the courses of a school or university”, in the Novellino of the late 13th century; the sense “to study a subject” follows in Iacopone da Todi, before 1306.^[5]

Semantic evolution

Old Italian also used the verb for striving and taking pains, in the intransitive and reflexive (studiarsi di, Giordano da Pisa, 1305–1306), and for hurrying: Dante's “non v'arrestate, ma studiate il passo” means “don't stop, but quicken your step”.^[5][4][11] In the 14th century it meant to examine or ponder something.^[5] Boccaccio's Decameron has the medieval phrase studiare in medicina and the doctor who had “studied in Paris”.^[12]

Manzoni, in I promessi sposi (1825–1827), uses it for weighing one's own words and actions, and the reflexive “to observe oneself” is recorded in 1965.^[5] Familiar Italian also says studiarle tutte, to try every trick.^[13][11]

Timeline

• Late 13th century – The Novellino uses the verb for attending school.^[5]
• Before 1306 – Iacopone da Todi uses it for studying a subject.^[5]
• 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses studiarsi “to strive”.^[5]
• 14th century – The sense “to examine, ponder” appears.^[5]
• 1825–1827 – Manzoni uses it for measuring one's words and actions.^[5]
• 1965 – The reflexive “to observe oneself” is recorded.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To study, to learn a subject, art or skill methodically, with books or a teacher: Quest'anno studio il giapponese.^[2][3][4]
2. (intransitive) To be a student, to follow a course of studies: Mia sorella studia ingegneria a Torino.^[2][3][13]
3. Of actors and musicians, to learn and rehearse a part or a piece.^[2][3]
4. To examine closely, to observe in order to form an opinion: Il portiere studiava ogni movimento dell'attaccante.^[2][4][13]
5. To work out, devise: Stanno studiando una soluzione per il traffico.^[2][14][11]
6. To weigh, control one's words, gestures or behaviour.^[2][14][13]
7. (reflexive, studiarsi di) To strive, try hard to do something.^[4][11]
8. (archaic) To hasten: studiare il passo.^[14][4][11]

Word family

• studiato
• studiacchiare
• studicchiare
• ristudiare
• studiabile
• studiatore

Related words

• studente
• studio
• studioso
• Latin studeo

References

1. ^ a b c d e 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 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 e f Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
6. ^ a b c Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3663
8. ^ a b Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 959
9. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
10. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
11. ^ a b c d e Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
13. ^ a b c d Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
14. ^ a b c Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli