troppo Italian · revision 37581

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=borrowing|attested=1239–1240, Guido Faba|origins=frk *þorp}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈtrɔp.po/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''troppo''' (feminine troppa, masculine plural troppi, feminine plural troppe)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include ''trop'', ''tropo'' and ''troppu''.^(GDLI|21, 410)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fro|trop|t=much; too much]], recorded in French from about 1050.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Nocentini traces the French word to [[frk|*þorp|t=cluster of people, village]], through [[la-med|troppus|t=flock, herd]], which became an adjective meaning “much” and then “in excess”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) The Medieval Latin noun is found in the 8th-century Lex Alamannorum.^(Devoto 1968|455)^(REW 1935) The Frankish word continues [[gem-pro|*þurpą|t=village]], the source of [[de|Dorf]] and [[en|thorp]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) The same source gave [[truppa]], through [[fr|troupe]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)

+

+ The link is not certain.^(REW 1935)^(Nocentini 2010) Meyer-Lübke noted that the Germanic word is matched by an Old English word for “village”, but that a sense “crowd, quantity” is not found in Germanic, and rejected a derivation from [[la|turba]].^(REW 1935) Prati called the French word of unclear origin.^(Prati 1951|1019) Zaccaria reports the earlier proposals of Storm and Bugge, who also started from the Germanic word for “village”.^(Zaccaria 1901)^(Körting 1907) Wiktionary takes the Germanic noun back to [[ine-pro|*treb-|t=dwelling]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The word first appears in the Genoese part of Raimbaut de Vaqueiras's bilingual ''Contrasto'', from before about 1207, in the line ''per qe trop me deschazei''.^(DELI 1999) In Italian prose it is in Guido Faba in 1239–1240.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Its first meaning was “much”, “very”.^(DELI 1999)^(Prati 1951)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old French ''trop'' had both senses, “much” and “too much”.^(DELI 1999) In Italian the older sense “much, many” lasted into the 14th century: Dante writes ''qui vid’i’ gente più ch’altrove troppa'', “here I saw people, more than elsewhere, very many”.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(GRADIT 2003) With Boccaccio the meaning “excessive” took over, and this is the sense of the modern word.^(DELI 1999)^(Prati 1951)

+

+ The adverb, “too much, more than is right”, appears in the ''Fiore'' around 1300, and Dante uses ''il troppo'', “what is in excess”, as a noun.^(DELI 1999)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Proverbs warn against excess: ''ogni troppo è troppo''.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) ''Di troppo'', “more than is due”, was recorded as a neologism in 1886.^(DELI 1999) ''Troppopieno'', an overflow pipe, copies [[fr|trop-plein]] and is first recorded in 1949.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ As a musical direction, ''ma non troppo'' “but not too much”, the word passed into French, German (1802) and English (20th century).^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * About 1050 – Old French ''trop'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before about 1207 – ''Trop'' appears in the Genoese part of Raimbaut de Vaqueiras's ''Contrasto''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1239–1240 – Guido Faba uses the word for “much”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses ''il troppo'' as a noun.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses ''troppo'' for “excessive”, the modern sense.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1802 – German takes ''troppo'' as a musical term.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1886 – ''Di troppo'' is listed among neologisms.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1949 – ''Troppopieno'', an overflow, is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Determiner===

+ # [[m|en|too much]], too many; more than is needed or right: ''Hai messo troppo pepe nel sugo.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(literary)'' Much, very many, without the idea of excess.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # Too much, too many: ''Di biscotti ne ho mangiati troppi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # In the plural, too many people: ''erano in troppi''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # In the masculine singular, too much time, money or effort, as the context shows: ''Ho aspettato troppo.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # Too, too much, [[m|en|excessively]]: ''Questa minestra è troppo salata.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # In negative sentences, very, much: ''non sto troppo bene''.^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''troppo buono'', ''troppo gentile'': polite (or ironic) formulas of thanks.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''il troppo'': what is in excess.^(DELI 1999)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[purtroppo]]

+ * [[troppopieno]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[truppa]]

+ * [[fr|trop]]

+ * [[de|Dorf]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Pur troppo'' or ''purtroppo'' means “unfortunately”;^(GRADIT 2003)^(Prati 1951|1019) Prati first finds it in Annibale Caro.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Prati 1951|1019) ''Questo è troppo!'' expresses indignation at something that goes beyond what can be borne, and ''troppa grazia!'' says that one has got more than one wished for.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}