me Italian · revision 37495

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 1294, Guittone d'Arezzo|origins=ine-pro *h₁mé}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈme/^(DiPI)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''me''' (first person singular, stressed form; also the unstressed form of ''mi'' before ''lo'', ''la'', ''li'', ''le'' and ''ne'')^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ Central and southern Italian has the form ''mene''.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|mē|t=me]], the accusative and ablative of [[la|ego|t=I]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The word is panromance: [[fr|moi]], [[rm|mai]], [[oc|me]], [[ca|me]], [[sc|me]] and [[ro|mine]] continue it.^(Nocentini 2010) The Latin pronoun had an Old Latin form [[m|la|mēd]], found in the Duenos inscription and in Plautus and Ennius.^(de Vaan 2008) Nocentini sees in its final ⟨-d⟩ a strengthening particle, a pattern repeated in central and southern Italian ⟨mene⟩ and in the Romanian word.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ De Vaan derives the accusative from [[ine-pro|*h₁mé]], whose long vowel arose in the stressed form.^(de Vaan 2008) Related forms are [[grc|ἐμέ|tr=emé]] and [[m|grc|με|tr=me]], [[cu|мѧ|tr=mę]], and, with an added particle, [[got|𐌼𐌹𐌺|tr=mik]] and [[de|mich]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) Devoto calls it a word of the compact Indo-European vocabulary, attested in most branches.^(Devoto 1968|275)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Guittone d'Arezzo, before 1294.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003) Sabatini–Coletti dates the word to the 11th century.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the beginning ''me'' was the stressed object form beside unstressed ''mi'', and Tommaseo notes that before ''lo'', ''li'', ''la'', ''le'' and ''ne'' only ''me'' is used, quoting Boccaccio's ''me la traggo'' (“I take it off”).^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Exclamations grew from it: the ''Novellino'' has ''ahimè'', Dante and Boccaccio ''oimè'', and the plural noun ''omei'' “laments” is found in early poetry.^(Prati 1951|648) The combination ''meco'' “with me”, from Latin ''mēcum'', is recorded from 1173.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ Used as a subject, as in jocular ''il padrone sono me'', ''me'' copies dialect usage, especially northern.^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010) Dante's “da me stesso non vegno” (I do not come of myself, ''Inferno'' 10) shows the reinforcement with ''stesso'' that is still current.^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 11th century – Sabatini–Coletti's date for the word.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ * 1173 – ''Meco'' “with me” is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses ''me''.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante writes ''oimè''.^(Prati 1951|648)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # [[m|en|me]], the stressed form, as a direct object when it is emphasized or contrasted: ''volevano me, non mia sorella''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # After a preposition: ''vieni a cena da me'', ''hanno parlato male di me''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # In exclamations, in comparisons after ''come'' and ''quanto'', and after ''essere'' or ''sembrare'' when the subject is not ''io'': ''povero me!'', ''è alto quanto me''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # The unstressed form of ''mi'' before ''lo'', ''la'', ''li'', ''le'' and ''ne'': ''me lo presti?'', ''non me ne importa''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+ # ''(jocular, regional)'' As a subject, in place of ''io''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[meco]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mi]]

+ * [[io]]

+ * [[mio]]

+ * [[te]]

+ * [[ahimè]]

+ * [[la|ego]]

+ * [[fr|moi]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Common phrases are ''da me'' (by myself, without help), ''per me'' and ''secondo me'' (in my opinion), ''quanto a me'' (as for me) and ''tra me e me'' (to myself, inwardly).^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011) The forget-me-not is ''non ti scordar di me''.^(GRADIT 2003) The stressed form has a closed /e/ and causes doubling of the following consonant in Tuscan (''a me piace'' [ammepˈpjatʃe]), while the unstressed form does not.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DiPI) Wiktionary notes a capitalized ''Me'' for God or another revered figure understood from context.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}