dispiacere Italian · revision 37629

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 1250, Giacomo da Lentini|origins=la placeō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /dis.pjaˈt͡ʃe.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''dispiacere''' (first-person singular present dispiàccio, first-person singular past historic dispiàcqui, past participle dispiaciùto, auxiliary èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+ As a noun it is masculine, with the plural ''dispiaceri''.^(Wiktionary)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ Old Italian texts have forms such as ''despiacere'', ''despiaxer'' and ''despiaser'', mostly from the north.^(TLIO) The Sicilian poet Stefano Protonotaro writes the noun ''displaciri''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*displaceō|alt=*displacēre]], which replaced classical [[la|displiceō|t=to displease]]: the spoken language rebuilt the verb from [[m|la|dis-]] and [[m|la|placeō|t=to please]], restoring the vowel of the simple verb.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) DEI and GDLI describe the same form as Medieval Latin ⟨displacere⟩, a recomposition of the classical verb.^(DEI|1348)^(GDLI) Wiktionary analyses it simply as the prefix [[dis-]] added to [[piacere]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The rebuilt verb is found across the Romance languages except Romanian and the dialects of southern Italy.^(DEI|1348) It is [[fr|déplaire]], [[pro|desplazer]], [[es|desplacer]] and [[pt|desprazer]].^(Körting 1907) The noun is the infinitive used as a noun, recorded from the late 13th century.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

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+ For the Latin verb, de Vaan reconstructs a root [[ine-pro|*pleh₂k-|t=to agree, be pleasant]]; its only close relatives are in Tocharian.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record of both the verb and the noun is the ''Splanamento'' of Girardo Patecchio, written in Cremona in the 13th century.^(TLIO) DELI's first dated use is in Giacomo da Lentini, who died before 1250, in the sense “to be unwelcome”.^(DELI 1999) GDLI quotes his lines on the painter who is displeased by his own work: ''e puro li dispiace / lo pingere che face'' (“and yet the painting he makes displeases him”).^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ By the middle of the 13th century the verb also meant “to cause sorrow or regret”, first in Folco di Calabria (before 1266).^(DELI 1999) In Old Italian it was used of acts displeasing to God, and in politics of a measure that the other side disapproved of; already then a negative subjunctive served as a mild apology or request.^(TLIO) The noun, “grief, regret”, appears in Stefano Protonotaro and in Guittone d'Arezzo.^(DELI 1999)

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+ Tommaseo–Bellini records older senses of the noun, “injury” in Boccaccio and “damage” in Vasari,^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) and GDLI a physical sense, “disgust” at a bad smell or taste.^(GDLI) In modern Italian the verb is above all the verb of apology and polite request: ''mi dispiace'' “I'm sorry”, ''ti dispiace…?'' “would you mind…?”, and with a negation it expresses mild approval, ''non mi dispiace'' “I quite like it”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) The pronominal ''dispiacersi'' means “to be sorry, to regret”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – Girardo Patecchio uses the verb and the noun at Cremona.^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses ''dispiacere'' “to be unwelcome”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1266 – Folco di Calabria uses the verb for “to cause sorrow”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 13th century – Stefano Protonotaro writes the noun ''displaciri''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses the noun ''dispiacere'' “grief”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To be [[m|en|unpleasant]] or unwelcome to someone (with ''a''): ''Quel rumore dispiace a tutti.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # With a negation, to be quite liked: ''Il concerto non mi è dispiaciuto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To cause [[m|en|regret]] or sorrow; often impersonal, ''mi dispiace'' “I'm sorry”: ''Mi dispiace, stasera non posso uscire.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # In polite requests, to [[m|en|mind]]: ''Ti dispiace chiudere la porta?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(pronominal, dispiacersi)'' To be sorry, to regret something.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|sorrow]], regret, disappointment: ''Ha lasciato la città con grande dispiacere.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Something that causes grief, often in the plural: ''I dispiaceri non gli sono mancati.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[dispiacente]]

+ * [[dispiacevole]]

+ * [[dispiacimento]]

+ * [[dispiacenza]]

+ * [[dispiacersi]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[piacere]]

+ * [[spiacere]]

+ * [[la|displiceō]]

+ * [[fr|déplaire]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Spiacere'' is a variant with the same meanings.^(Wiktionary)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) The verb takes ''essere'' as its auxiliary.^(Wiktionary)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}