in Italian · revision 37452

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 11th or early 12th century, Pisan ship's account|origins=ine-pro *h₁én}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /in/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|in|t=in, into, on]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The Latin preposition replaced an older [[m|la|en]], found in early inscriptions such as the Duenos inscription:^(de Vaan 2008)^(OLD 2012) /e/ became /i/ regularly in unstressed position and before some consonants, and “in” was then generalised.^(de Vaan 2008) It continues [[itc-pro|*en]], from [[ine-pro|*h₁én|t=in]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The word is shared by the Romance languages: [[fr|en]], [[oc|en]], [[ca|en]], [[es|en]], [[pt|em]], [[sc|in]] and [[ro|în]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) Further cognates are [[grc|ἐν|tr=en]], [[got|𐌹𐌽|tr=in]], [[sga|in]], [[lt|į]], and [[en|in]] and [[de|in]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(de Vaan 2008) The articulated prepositions “nel”, “nello” and the like come from “in” with the forms of [[la|ille]].^(Prati 1951)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The preposition is first recorded in a Pisan ship's account of the early 12th century, already with the many relations it still expresses.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Latin ''in'' took the accusative after words of motion (“into”) and the ablative after words of rest (“in”).^(OLD 2012) Italian, without cases, uses the one preposition both for place where (''vivere in campagna'') and for place to which (''andare in campagna'').^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Tommaseo described it as expressing the relation between something that contains and something contained.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ From place it extends to time (''in primavera''), the time something takes, condition and manner, the result of a change (''cambiare in meglio'', “to change for the better”), and the means of transport.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Wiktionary) Before the husband's surname it marked a married woman's name (''Anna Bianchi in Rossi''), a use now dated.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Some recent uses have been criticised by purists.^(DELI 1999) The combined forms with the article were once written apart (''in lo'', ''ne la''); these are now archaic or literary.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Early 12th century – First record, in a Pisan ship's account.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1965 – ''In'' “fashionable”, from English, is recorded.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 1966 – This ''in'' appears in the periodical press.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # [[m|en|in]], inside: of the place where something is, also figurative: ''abita in centro'', ''credere in qualcuno''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # [[m|en|into]], to: of motion to a place, especially with countries and regions: ''trasferirsi in Portogallo''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # With verbs of change: into, giving the result: ''tradurre in tedesco''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Of time: in, during: ''in agosto''.^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of the time something takes: within: ''l'ha scritto in tre giorni''.^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # Of condition or manner: ''vivere in solitudine'', ''camminare in silenzio''.^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+ # Of means of transport: by: ''viaggiare in treno''.^(Wiktionary)^(Wikizionario)

+ # ''(dated)'' Before a husband's surname, marking a married woman.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[la|in]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ With the definite article ''in'' forms ''nel'', ''nello'', ''nella'', ''nei'', ''negli'', ''nelle''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) A separate word ''in'', taken from English in 1965 (from ''to be in''), means “fashionable” or “well introduced in a circle”: ''un locale in''.^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) The ''Corriere della Sera'' wrote in 1984 ''Coin è in''.^(GDLI)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}