tenerezza

Forms

tenerezza f (plural tenerezze)^[1]

Etymology

DELI, Meyer-Lübke and the GDLI see an inherited word: it is inherited from Vulgar Latin *teneritia (“tenderness”), formed tener (“tender”).^[2][3][4][5] DELI notes that this form belonged to the spoken language, while classical Latin had teneritās and teneritūdō.^[2] GRADIT, Treccani and Wiktionary describe it as an Italian formation from tenero with the suffix -ezza.^[6][7][1]

The same word is French tendresse, Old Occitan tendreza, Catalan tendresa, Spanish terneza and Portuguese terneza, while Romanian tinerețe has the sense “youth”.^[3][5][1]

The Latin adjective has no clear cognates elsewhere in Indo-European;^[2][8] DELI and Nocentini connect it with the root of teneō (“to hold”), tendō (“to stretch”) and tenuis (“thin”).^[2][8]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is the form tenereza in Z. Bencivenni, 1310, and the form tenerezza in the Italian Palladio of about 1340, both with the sense “the quality of being tender, softness”.^[2][6] The Palladio passage reads Credesi che quella cenere procuri tenerezza (that ash is believed to bring softness).^[9]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, the sweet emotion stirred by affection, love or pity, is in Boccaccio's Decameron of 1348–53.^[2] It was also used, rarely, for weakness and fragility, as in la tenerezza degli anni, the tender years.^[9][10] The plural tenerezze for loving words and gestures is recorded only from 1863.^[2] In painting it is the softness of lines and features.^[6][11]

The phrase fare tenerezza means “to move someone to affectionate pity”.^[12][10] Old spellings include tenarezza and tenereza.^[4]

Timeline

• 1310 – Z. Bencivenni uses the form tenereza.^[2]
• About 1340 – Tenerezza appears in the Italian translation of Palladius.^[2][6]
• 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses the word for tender emotion.^[2]
• 1863 – The plural tenerezze “tender words and gestures” is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. tenderness, softness: the quality of being tender, easy to cut or chew: la tenerezza di un arrosto.^[6][10][11]
2. (art) Softness of lines and colours.^[6][10][11]
3. (figurative) A tender feeling of affection, often with gentle emotion: fare tenerezza.^[6][10][12]
4. (in the plural) Loving words and gestures, caresses.^[6][10][11]

Related words

• tenero
• intenerire
• tenerume
• French tendresse

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 k Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
3. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
4. ^ a b Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 20, 884
5. ^ a b Körting, Gustav (1907), Lateinisch-romanisches Wörterbuch: etymologisches Wörterbuch der romanischen Hauptsprachen, 3rd ed., Paderborn: Schöningh
6. ^ 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
7. ^ Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)
8. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
9. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
10. ^ a b c d e f Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
11. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
12. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana