mettere Italian · revision 37579

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=13th century, Anonimo veronese|origins=la mittō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈmet.te.re/^(Wiktionary)

+ * Regional: /ˈmɛt.te.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''mettere''' (first-person singular present métto, first-person singular past historic mìsi, past participle mésso, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include ''metere'', ''mittere'', ''mìtere'' and ''méttare''; the old past participle was ''miso'' beside ''messo''.^(GDLI|10)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|mittō|t=to send; to let go]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb already moved from “send” to “put” in Late Latin: the Vulgate uses it in Luke 5:37 for putting new wine into old wineskins.^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011) Nocentini points to the compound [[m|la|immittō|t=to put in]], the source of [[immettere]], as the model for the sense “put inside”.^(Nocentini 2010) The verb is pan-Romance: [[fr|mettre]], [[oc|metre]], [[ca|metre]], [[es|meter]], [[pt|meter]] and [[sc|mintere]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) DEI notes that it reached the southern dialects, such as Calabrian, from the literary language.^(DEI|2445)

+

+ De Vaan and Wiktionary reconstruct [[itc-pro|*meitō]] and [[ine-pro|*meyth₂-|t=to exchange, remove]]; from “exchange” the sense developed to “give” and then “let go, send”.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) Nocentini counts the verb among the marginal Indo-European words, with an Avestan verb meaning “to send” as the most accepted match.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The form ''metere'' is in the 13th-century Anonimo veronese, and ''mettere'' in Giordano da Pisa in 1304, both in the sense “to place someone or something somewhere”.^(DELI 1999) Guittone d'Arezzo, who died in 1294, already uses it for “to instil” fear or a feeling.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old Italian developed most of the modern uses by the 14th century: “to lay” (Dante), “to drive in” (Romanzo di Tristano), “to spend time” (Bono Giamboni), “to add” (around 1340), “to wear” (Iacopone, as ''mittere''), and the reflexive ''mettersi a'' “to begin” in Boccaccio.^(DELI 1999) The intransitive sense “to lead into”, of a road or river, is in Giamboni, and Wiktionary also gives the verb for plants putting out shoots.^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary) “To suppose” (''mettiamo che…'') is in Annibale Caro, and “to install” (gas, a telephone) is first recorded in 1744.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The past participle [[m|la|missus]] was used as a noun in Late Latin for an envoy, which gave Italian [[messo]] “messenger” (before 1294).^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Many phrases with ''messa in…'' copy French models: ''messa a punto'' (1935) [[fr|mise au point]], ''messa in scena'' [[m|fr|mise en scène]].^(DELI 1999) DEI lists other locutions of the 20th century that copy French, such as ''mettere alla porta'' “to throw out” and ''mettere i punti sugli i'' “to dot the i's”.^(DEI|2445) ''Mettere nel sacco'' “to trick” has a long German counterpart, ''in den Sack stecken''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – ''Metere'' appears in the Anonimo veronese.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses the verb for “to instil”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses it for “to lay”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1304 – The form ''mettere'' is recorded in Giordano da Pisa.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses ''mettersi a'' for “to begin”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1744 – Scipione Maffei uses it for “to install”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1935 – ''Messa a punto'', after French ''mise au point'', is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|put]], place, set somewhere: ''Metti il latte in frigorifero.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To insert, drive in: ''mettere una vite nel legno''.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To put on, wear (clothes, shoes): ''Oggi metto il cappotto.''^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To add, put in: ''mettere il sale nell’acqua''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To install, have fitted: ''mettere il riscaldamento''.^(Treccani 2011)^(DELI 1999)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To cause, arouse: ''mettere paura'', to frighten.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To suppose: ''mettiamo che non venga''.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''metterci'': to take (time): ''Ci ho messo un'ora.''^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' Of a road or river, to lead to, flow into.^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' Of plants, to [[m|en|sprout]], put out shoots or leaves.^(Wiktionary)^(DEI|2445)

+ # ''mettersi'': to place oneself; to put on (clothes); ''mettersi a'' + infinitive, to begin.^(DELI 1999)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[messa]]

+ * [[messo]]

+ * [[mettersi]]

+ * [[metterci]]

+ * [[mettibocca]]

+ * [[mettifoglio]]

+ * [[mettimale]]

+ * [[smettere]]

+ * [[dismettere]]

+ * [[estromettere]]

+ * [[intromettersi]]

+ * [[sottomettere]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ammettere]]

+ * [[commettere]]

+ * [[compromettere]]

+ * [[emettere]]

+ * [[frammettere]]

+ * [[immettere]]

+ * [[intermettere]]

+ * [[omettere]]

+ * [[permettere]]

+ * [[premettere]]

+ * [[promettere]]

+ * [[rimettere]]

+ * [[trasmettere]]

+ * [[la|mittō]]

+ * [[fr|mettre]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The past historic is ''misi'', ''mise'', ''misero'', with Tuscan popular ''messi'', ''messe'', ''messero''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011) Fixed phrases include ''mettere al mondo'' “to give birth to”, ''mettere a punto'' “to fine-tune” and ''mettere alla prova'' “to put to the test”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}