senza Italian · revision 37618

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=1104, Segnoretto da Prato, in the form sentia|origins=la absum}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈsɛn.t͡sa/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''senza'''^(Wiktionary)

+ The old forms include [[roa-oit|sanza]], used by Dante and Boccaccio, and northern forms such as [[roa-oit|sença]] and [[roa-oit|çença]].^(Prati 1951|910)^(LEI|1, 166) Before a vowel it may be elided to ''senz’'', as always in ''senz’altro''.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|absentia|t=absence]], used in the ablative ⟨absentiā⟩ “in the absence of” as a preposition, with the loss of the first syllable.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto 1968|401) The same reduced form survives in Franco-Provençal and in [[pro|sensa]], and Meyer-Lübke adds Engadine ⟨sainza⟩ and [[fro|sanz]], the ancestor of [[fr|sans]].^(LEI|1, 166)^(REW 1935) Wiktionary sees a blend of Latin [[m|la|sine|t=without]] with the noun.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The etymology, defended by Meyer-Lübke, Prati, Battisti–Alessio and Rohlfs, was rejected by Walther von Wartburg and Joan Corominas.^(LEI|1, 166) The LEI answers that they did not know the earliest Italian forms such as ⟨sentia⟩, and that Old Milanese ⟨asensa⟩ and dialect ⟨insensa⟩ point to a prepositional phrase [[la-vul|*in absentia alicuius|alt=*(in) absentia alicuius|t=in someone's absence]].^(LEI|1, 166) Carlo Salvioni took the Italian forms for borrowings from French, an idea Meyer-Lübke found hard to understand and the LEI rejects for Italian.^(REW 1935)^(LEI|1, 166)

+

+ The variant ⟨sanza⟩ shows the change of /en/ to /an/ before the stress that is typical of 13th-century Florentine (as in ⟨danari⟩ beside ⟨denari⟩); it began in western Tuscany, reached Florence at the end of the 12th century, and spread from there.^(LEI|1, 166) The Latin preposition for “without” itself lives on in Istrian ⟨sina⟩, [[pro|senes]], [[es|sin]] and [[pt|sem]].^(DEI|3456)^(REW 1935)

+

+ The Latin noun is formed from [[m|la|absēns|t=absent]], the present participle of [[m|la|absum|t=to be away]], from [[m|la|ab|t=from]] and [[m|la|sum|t=to be]].^(Wiktionary)^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is the form ''sentia'' in a document of Segnoretto da Prato of 1104 (“sentia saputa”, without the knowledge); ''senza'' appears in a document from Fabriano in 1186, in the sense “without, lacking”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(LEI|1, 166)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the 13th century ''senza'' and the Florentine ''sanza'' are both common: Dante writes “soli eravamo e sanza alcun sospetto” (we were alone and without any suspicion, ''Inferno'' 5).^(Zingarelli 2010)^(LEI|1, 166) In the 16th century ''sanza'' was felt to be a Florentine form and was dropped, by Ariosto among others in the last edition of his poem.^(LEI|1, 166)

+

+ Besides lack and exclusion, the preposition introduces an infinitive clause (''senza dire nulla'', without saying anything) and forms set phrases such as ''senza dubbio'' and ''senz’altro''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020) In music ''senza'' (''senza tempo'', ''senza misura'') passed into French in 1703, English in 1724 and German in 1732.^(DIFIT) In the 20th century it formed nouns: ''senzatetto'' “homeless person” (as ''senza tetto'' in 1908, written as one word in 1918) and ''senzadio'' “atheist; unscrupulous person” (1930).^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1104 – The form ''sentia'' appears in a document of Segnoretto da Prato.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1186 – ''Senza'' appears in a document from Fabriano.^(DELI 1999)^(LEI|1, 166)

+ * 1219 – ''Senza'' is recorded at Montieri in western Tuscany.^(LEI|1, 166)

+ * 1703 – The musical ''senza'' is recorded in French.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1724 – The musical ''senza'' is recorded in English.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1908 – ''Senza tetto'' “homeless” is recorded; the compound ''senzatetto'' follows in 1918.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1930 – ''Senza Dio'' “atheist” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # [[m|en|without]], lacking, introducing what someone or something does not have: ''un tè senza limone''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Without, as opposed to ''con'', ''senza di'' before a personal pronoun: ''senza di lei''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # [[m|en|excluding]], not counting.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Without, of manner or means.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ # Followed by an infinitive, without doing something: ''È partito senza salutare nessuno.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(bridge)'' Played with no [[m|en|trumps]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(rowing)'' Without a [[m|en|cox]], in ''due senza'' and ''quattro senza''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[senzatetto]]

+ * [[senzadio]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[assenza]]

+ * [[assente]]

+ * [[la|absentia]]

+ * [[la|sine]]

+ * [[fr|sans]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Before a stressed personal pronoun ''senza'' usually takes ''di'' (''senza di me''); with nouns it does not.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(GRADIT 2003) ''Non senza'' means “with some” by litotes, and ''senza se e senza ma'' “without reservations”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}