usare

Forms

usare (first-person singular present ùso, first-person singular past historic usài, past participle usàto, auxiliary avére or (in the uncommon impersonal meaning "to be customary") èssere)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *ūsāre, recorded in Late and early Medieval Latin, a verb made on Latin ūsus (“used; accustomed”), the past participle of ūtor (“to use”).^[2][3][4][1] Devoto and Gabrielli call it an intensive formed on that deponent verb.^[5][6] Nocentini counts it a Romance formation, and DEI notes that it belongs to Italian and the western Romance languages.^[2][7] The same verb is French user, recorded from the 12th century, Occitan usar, Catalan usar, Spanish usar and Portuguese usar, and Sardinian usare in Sardinian.^[2][8][7]

De Vaan traces the Latin verb to Proto-Italic *oit-, still visible in Old Latin spellings of the infinitive and participle, and connects it, following Tichy, with Ancient Greek οἴσω (oísō, “I will fetch”), through a sense “to fetch for oneself” that became “to use”.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELI's first record is in the Novellino, at the end of the 13th century, with the sense “to put to use” a means, a tool, a source of income or a quality of mind.^[10][2] DEI also records 13th-century senses now lost: “to frequent, keep company with” (Ricordano Malispini) and “to have carnal relations” (Bono Giamboni).^[7]

Semantic evolution

The sense “to be accustomed to” is recorded in 1305–1306, in the sermons of Giordano da Pisa, and Boccaccio used the verb in 1348–1353 for words employed in speaking or writing.^[10] Tommaseo quotes Boccaccio's question “che orazione usate di dire?” (what prayer are you used to saying?), a construction with di that the 19th century still knew.^[11] Old derivatives include usanza “custom” (13th century, Brunetto Latini) and usato, already in Dante.^[2][7]

Intransitive uses came later in the dictionaries: “to be customary”, impersonal, before 1698 (Francesco Redi), and “to be in fashion” in 1863 (Fanfani).^[10] Usare la ragione “to reason” is in Francesco da Buti, before 1406, and usare la testa in the same sense entered the Zingarelli dictionary in 1970.^[10] Modern dictionaries add the derogatory sense “to exploit a person, treat as a mere tool”.^[3][12][13]

Timeline

• Late 13th century – The Novellino uses usare “to put to use”.^[10]
• 13th century – Brunetto Latini uses usanza “custom”.^[7]
• 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses the verb for “to be accustomed to”.^[10]
• 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses it for words employed in speech or writing.^[10]
• Before 1698 – Francesco Redi has the impersonal sense “to be customary”.^[10]
• 1863 – Fanfani records the sense “to be in fashion”.^[10]
• 1970 – Usare la testa “to think” enters the Zingarelli dictionary.^[10]

Meanings

Verb

1. To use, employ (a tool, an object or a means) for a purpose: Per aprire il barattolo ho usato un cacciavite.^[3][4][14]
2. To use (words, expressions, a style) in speaking or writing.^[3][4][13]
3. To consume a resource: usare i risparmi.^[3][4]
4. To take (a means of transport); to wear, especially habitually.^[3][4]
5. To take (medicines, drugs).^[3][4]
6. (derogatory) To exploit a person, treat someone as a mere tool.^[3][14][12]
7. To show, exercise (caution, force, a right) in one's behaviour: usare prudenza.^[12][13][6]
8. To do (a courtesy, a favour) to someone.^[12][6][1]
9. To be accustomed to, be in the habit of (with an infinitive).^[14][12][1]
10. (intransitive) To be in fashion; impersonal, with the auxiliary essere, to be customary: Da noi si usa ancora scambiarsi gli auguri a voce.^[14][12][1]

Word family

• usanza
• usato
• usabile
• disusare
• disuso
• riusare
• usa e getta

Related words

• usitato
• uso
• usuale
• usuario
• usura
• utile
• Latin ūtor
• French user

Usage notes

Usa e getta “use and throw away” is used as an adjective for disposable objects.^[3][13] An old and literary verb usare “to dare” is a variant of osare, found from the Middle Ages to Svevo.^[15]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
4. ^ 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
5. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier, p. 461
6. ^ a b c Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli
7. ^ a b c d e Battisti, Carlo; Alessio, Giovanni (1950–1957), Dizionario etimologico italiano, 5 vols., Firenze: Barbèra (reprint 1975), p. 3962
8. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
11. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
12. ^ a b c d e f Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
13. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
14. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
15. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 21, 582