piacere Italian · revision 37550

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo laurenziano|origins=la placeō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /pjaˈt͡ʃe.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''piacere''' (first-person singular present piàccio, first-person singular past historic piàcqui, past participle piaciùto, auxiliary èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include ''plaçere'', ''placere'', ''plagere'' and ''piagere''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Prati 1951|768)

+ Sabatini–Coletti explains ''plagere'' as a continuation of [[pro|plazer]].^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|placeō|alt=placēre|t=to please]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The verb is panromance: [[fr|plaire]], [[oc|plazer]], [[ca|plaure]], [[es|placer]], [[pt|prazer]], [[sc|piàghere]] and [[ro|plăcea]];^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) DÉRom reconstructs a Proto-Romance verb meaning “to be to someone's liking”, but notes that it has been losing ground in the Romance languages.^(DÉRom) DEI considers the Spanish and Portuguese words learned and the southern Italian forms loans from Tuscan.^(DEI|2890) The noun is the same infinitive used as a noun, with parallels in [[fr|plaisir]], [[ca|plaer]] and [[ro|plăcere]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ De Vaan sets up a stem [[itc-pro|*plak-ē-]] and a root [[ine-pro|*pl(e)h₂k-]] “to agree, be pleasant”, whose only certain comparison is [[xto|plāk-|t=to agree]]; [[la|plācō|t=to appease]] belongs to the same root.^(de Vaan 2008) Nocentini traces the root to the family of [[la|plānus|t=flat]], so that the first sense would be “to be smooth, and so agreeable”,^(Nocentini 2010) and Devoto describes the Latin verb as originally impersonal, “it is all right”.^(Devoto 1968|329)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is the form ''plaçono'' (they please) in the ''Ritmo laurenziano'', from the end of the 12th century;^(DELI 1999) ''piacere'' itself is in Bondie Dietaiuti, in the first half of the 13th century.^(DELI 1999) The sense “to wish” is recorded in 1219 in the Breve di Montieri.^(DELI 1999) As a noun GRADIT dates it before 1243, and DELI's first record of the sense “enjoyment” is the ''Novellino'', at the end of the 13th century.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Dante the verb has its modern construction, the thing liked as subject and the person in the dative: “Marzïa piacque tanto a li occhi miei” (Marcia so pleased my eyes, ''Purgatorio'' 1).^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The noun meant enjoyment, will (''Novellino''), and, from Boccaccio (1353) a favour done to someone;^(DELI 1999) it also named the beauty that arouses love, as in Francesca's words in ''Inferno'' 5, “mi prese del costui piacer sì forte”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The phrase ''a piacere'' “at will” goes back to the 14th century and passed into French.^(DEI|2890)

+

+ From Late Latin [[m|la-lat|placibilis]] came ''piacevole'' (before 1294).^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) A ''treno di piacere'', a cheap train for outings, was a calque of French ''train de plaisir'', recorded by Panzini in 1931.^(DEI|3884) In psychology the ''principio del piacere'' is Freud's pleasure principle,^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011) and in modern use ''piacere!'' is the usual reply on being introduced.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – ''Plaçono'' in the ''Ritmo laurenziano''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1219 – The sense “to wish” in the Breve di Montieri.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1243 – GRADIT's date for the noun.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * First half of the 13th century – Bondie Dietaiuti writes ''piacere''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Late 13th century – The noun “enjoyment” and “will” in the ''Novellino''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1353 – The noun “favour” in Boccaccio.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1931 – ''Treno di piacere'' is recorded by Panzini.^(DEI|3884)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|please]], be liked by (with the person liking in the dative, so usually rendered “to [[m|en|like]]”): ''a mia nonna piacciono i gialli'', ''mi piace camminare in montagna''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # In the conditional, to like, to wish: ''mi piacerebbe vedere Lisbona'', ''(jocular)'' ''ti piacerebbe!'', of something unlikely to happen.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # To win approval or [[m|en|esteem]]: ''il suo modo di fare non mi piace''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # To attract, of a person: ''quella ragazza gli piace da mesi''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To seem right, to choose: ''fai come ti piace'', ''faccio quel che mi pare e piace''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(impersonal)'' In wishes: ''piaccia a Dio'', ''piacesse al cielo!''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|pleasure]], enjoyment, the satisfaction of a desire or of the senses: ''leggere con piacere'', ''i piaceri della buona cucina''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # In courtesy formulas, honour, pleasure: ''è stato un vero piacere rivederti''; on being introduced, ''piacere!'' “nice to meet you”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # [[m|en|amusement]], leisure: ''una gita di piacere'', ''prima il dovere, poi il piacere''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A [[m|en|favour]], a kindness: ''mi faresti un piacere?'', ''per piacere'', please.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # Will, choice, in ''a piacere'' (at will) and ''a tuo piacere''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(psychology)'' Pleasure as opposed to pain, in Freud's ''principio del piacere''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[piacevole]]

+ * [[piacevolezza]]

+ * [[piacente]]

+ * [[piacimento]]

+ * [[piacione]]

+ * [[compiacere]]

+ * [[dispiacere]]

+ * [[spiacere]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[placare]]

+ * [[piano]]

+ * [[la|placeō]]

+ * [[fr|plaisir]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The verb takes ''essere'' and puts the person who likes in the dative: ''mi piace'' (I like it), ''ci sono piaciuti'' (we liked them).^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020) The idioms ''piaccia o non piaccia'' (like it or not) and ''non mi piace'' said of a cough or a look (it worries me) are common.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}