come Italian · revision 37483

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo di Sant'Alessio|origins=la quōmodo}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈko.me/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''come'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include ''como'' and, before a consonant, ''com'', ''com’'' and ''con’''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GDLI)^(Zingarelli 2010) Bolognese has ''cmod''.^(DEI|1027)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-lat|quōmo]], a Late Latin shortening of [[la|quōmodo|t=in what way, how]], recorded from the 2nd–3rd century.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GDLI)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DEI|1027) Wiktionary notes that forms without ⟨d⟩ are securely attested from the middle of the 1st century AD, through rapid speech or a new division of the word.^(Wiktionary) The final ⟨-e⟩ is explained in several ways: Nocentini, DEI, Devoto–Oli and Treccani take it from the conjunction [[m|la|et|t=and]], used to introduce the second term of a comparison in a phrase ⟨quōmo et⟩ recorded in the 3rd century.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|1027)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011) The GDLI thinks the analogy of the adverbs in ⟨-e⟩ more likely, though it allows for ⟨quōmo et⟩,^(GDLI|3, 348) and Devoto points to the ending of [[dove]].^(Devoto 1968|103) The older outcome without ⟨-e⟩ survives in [[roa-oit|como]].^(GDLI)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The word is panromance: [[fro|com]], later [[fr|comme]], [[oc|com]], [[ca|com]], [[es|como]], [[pt|como]], [[sc|comente]] and [[ro|cum]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) DEI and REW set French ⟨comme⟩ and Old Logudorese ⟨coe⟩, with the added vowel, against ⟨com⟩ and ⟨co⟩,^(DEI|1027)^(REW 1935) and Provençal ⟨coma⟩ and [[nap|comma]] seem to go back to ⟨quōmo⟩ with [[m|la|ac|t=and]].^(GDLI|3, 348)^(DEI|1027) With the ending of the adverbs in ⟨-mente⟩ the word gave [[fr|comment]] and Sardinian ⟨komenti⟩.^(REW 1935)

+

+ Latin “quōmodo” is the ablative of the pronoun [[m|la|quī|t=which]] joined to the ablative of [[m|la|modus|t=manner, way]].^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)^(GDLI) The pronoun belongs to the stem [[ine-pro|*kʷi-]], which also gave [[chi]].^(Devoto 1968|103)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first records are of the 12th century: ''con'' in Girardo Patecchio, for “in the manner of”, and ''commo'' at the end of the century in the Ritmo di Sant'Alessio, for “in what way”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Patecchio writes ''Sì con' se trova scrito en Proverbi'' (“as it is found written in Proverbs”).^(GDLI|3, 348) The form ''come'' first appears before 1250 in Giacomo da Lentini.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 13th century the word extended from comparison and manner to other relations: “as soon as, when” before 1276 in Guido Guinizelli, “in the capacity of” before 1292 in Bono Giamboni, and “since, as” before 1342 in Domenico Cavalca.^(DELI 1999) As a noun, “the manner, the way”, it appears as ''como'' before 1306 in Iacopone da Todi and as ''come'' before 1313 in Cecco Angiolieri.^(DELI 1999) Dante builds his similes with it: ''E come quei che con lena affannata / uscito fuor del pelago alla riva'' (“And as one who, with labouring breath, has come out of the sea to the shore”, ''Inferno'' 1.22).^(GDLI|3, 348)

+

+ Compounds include ''comecché'' and ''comunque'',^(Prati 1951) and ''eccome'', from the phrase ''e come'', is recorded in 1840–1842.^(Nocentini 2010) Set expressions are many: ''come mai?'' “how come?”, ''come no!'' “of course!”, ''come Dio vuole'' “somehow or other”.^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 12th century – Girardo Patecchio uses ''con'' “in the manner of”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Late 12th century – The Ritmo di Sant'Alessio uses ''commo'' “in what way”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses the form ''come''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1276 – Guido Guinizelli uses it for “as soon as”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it for “in the capacity of”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1306 – Iacopone da Todi uses the noun ''como'' “manner”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses it for “since”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1840–1842 – ''Eccome'' is first recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|like]], as, in comparisons of likeness or identity: ''Nuota come un pesce.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # [[m|en|how]], in direct and indirect questions: ''Come si arriva alla stazione?'' ''Non so come abbia fatto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # How, in exclamations: ''Come sei cambiato!''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # As, in the role or capacity of: ''Lavora come infermiera.''^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # Such as, for example: ''frutti come le pesche e le albicocche''.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # As, the way that, in clauses of manner: ''Fai come credi.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ # [[m|en|as soon as]], when: ''Come entrò in casa, squillò il telefono.''^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # With ''se'', as if: ''Mi guardava come se non mi conoscesse.''^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary)'' Since, as, with a causal sense.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # The way, the manner: ''il come e il perché''.^(DELI 1999)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[eccome]]

+ * [[comecché]]

+ * [[comunque]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[siccome]]

+ * [[così]]

+ * [[chi]]

+ * [[la|quomodo]]

+ * [[fr|comme]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Come'' is elided before forms of ''essere'' that begin with a stressed ''e'' (''com'è'').^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) After it, a personal pronoun takes the object form: ''come me'', ''come te''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI) In Tuscan pronunciation it doubles the consonant that follows it.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}