tremare

Forms

tremare (first-person singular present trèmo, first-person singular past historic tremài, past participle tremàto, auxiliary avére)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *tremāre, inherited from Latin tremere (“to tremble”) moved into the first conjugation.^[2][3][4][1] DELI and GDLI suggest the change was helped by Latin tremulāre (“to quiver”), which replaced the older verb in most of the Romance area.^[2][5] DÉRom reconstructs a Proto-Romance verb with three types: the original second-conjugation verb, the first-conjugation one, and a type with ⟨cr-⟩ for ⟨tr-⟩ and the transitive sense “to fear”.^[6]

The older conjugation survives in Sardinian tremere, Occitan tremer and Portuguese tremer; the first is also Spanish tremar beside Old Spanish tremer.^[2][3][7] The ⟨cr-⟩ type is Old French criembre and French craindre (“to fear”), with the influence of a Gaulish word.^[7][6]

The Latin verb goes back to Proto-Italic *tremō and Proto-Indo-European *trem- (“to tremble”), as Ancient Greek τρέμω (trémō, “to tremble”) and the Lithuanian and Tocharian verbs for trembling show.^[8][9] Nocentini and Devoto see it as an extension of a root *ter- (“to tremble”), the one in Latin terreō (“to frighten”).^[3][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is Guido Cavalcanti, before 1300, for air set in motion;^[2][10] GRADIT also dates the sense “to vibrate” to before 1300.^[2][10] Dante's Inferno (1300–1313) has the bodily sense, being shaken by involuntary contractions of the muscles: “for she makes my veins and pulses tremble” (ch'ella mi fa tremar le vene e i polsi).^[2][11]

Semantic evolution

From shaking of the body the verb went to fear: Iacopone da Todi, before 1306, uses it for being afraid, and the old commentary called the Ottimo for great fear.^[2][12] Before 1321 Dante uses it of things shaken, and Machiavelli, before 1527, of being anxious for someone.^[2] The old present triemo is still a poetic form.^[11][4]

The modern dictionaries add a voice or sound that wavers, light that flickers (1961) and sight that blurs (1939–1940).^[2][10] Derivatives include tremito and tremarella, a fit of trembling with fear (1633), while tremendo, tremore and tremulo were taken from Latin.^[2][3]

Timeline

• Before 1300 – Guido Cavalcanti uses tremare of air in motion.^[2]
• 1300–1313 – Dante: ch'ella mi fa tremar le vene e i polsi.^[2]
• Before 1306 – Iacopone da Todi uses it for being afraid.^[2]
• Before 1321 – Dante uses it of things shaken.^[2]
• Before 1527 – Machiavelli uses it for being anxious.^[2]
• 1633 – tremarella, a fit of trembling, is recorded.^[2]
• 1939–1940 – Palazzi records the senses “to vibrate, throb” and of sight blurring.^[2]
• 1961 – the sense of light flickering is recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Verb

1. (intransitive) To tremble, shiver: to be shaken by quick muscular contractions from cold, illness or fear: tremare di febbre;^[10][4][11] tremare come una foglia, to shake all over.^[10][4][11]
2. (intransitive, figurative) To be anxious, to fear for someone or something: Tremo per mio fratello.^[10][4][13]
3. (intransitive, figurative) To be afraid; in negative sentences, to show courage.^[10][4]
4. (intransitive) Of things, to vibrate or be shaken, as by an earthquake.^[10][4][11]
5. (intransitive) Of a voice or sound, to waver.^[10][4][11]
6. (intransitive) Of light, to flicker; of sight, to blur.^[10][4][11]
7. (intransitive, literary) Of air, to stir in the breeze.^[10][4][11]

Word family

• tremante
• tremarella
• tremito
• ritremare

Related words

• tremolare
• tremolio
• tremolo
• tremore
• tremendo
• tremebondo
• tremulo
• atterrire
• Latin tremō

Usage notes

The verb takes avere.^[1][4] Far tremare le vene e i polsi, from Dante, means to fill with terror.^[11]

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 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 c d 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 Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
5. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 21, 300
6. ^ a b Buchi, Éva; Schweickard, Wolfgang, eds. (2008–), Dictionnaire Étymologique Roman (DÉRom), Nancy: ATILF, http://www.atilf.fr/DERom
7. ^ a b Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
8. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
9. ^ a b Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
10. ^ 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
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
12. ^ Prati, Angelico (1951), Vocabolario etimologico italiano, Milano: Garzanti, p. 1014
13. ^ Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana