perdere Italian · revision 37664

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 1250, Giacomino Pugliese|origins=ine-pro *deh₃-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈpɛr.de.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''perdere''' (first-person singular present pèrdo, first-person singular past historic pèrsi or perdétti or (traditional) perdètti or (less common) perdéi, past participle pèrso or perdùto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|perdō|t=to destroy, waste; to lose]], formed from [[m|la|per-|t=beyond]], here marking a turn for the worse, and [[m|la|dō|t=to give]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GRADIT 2003) The verb is pan-Romance: [[fr|perdre]], [[oc|perdre]], [[ca|perdre]], [[es|perder]], [[pt|perder]] and [[ro|pierde]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) The base verb goes back to [[ine-pro|*deh₃-|t=to give]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ Of the participles, [[perduto]] continues the regular formation, while [[perso]] was made on the model of [[preso]].^(Wiktionary) The noun [[perdita]], meaning loss, comes from the Latin participle [[m|la|perditus]], and [[perdizione]], meaning perdition, is a learned borrowing of Christian Latin [[m|la|perditiō]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's earliest record is in Giacomino Pugliese, before 1250, with the sense “to cease to have, to be deprived of”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The other senses followed quickly: “to mislay” in Brunetto Latini (before 1294), “to let something slip, miss” in Onesto da Bologna (before 1303), “to leak, let flow out” in the ''Romanzo di Tristano'' (late 13th century), and in Dante “to waste”, “to end in defeat” and, reflexively, “to get lost”.^(DELI 1999) The reflexive “to be ruined” is in the 14th-century ''Collazioni dei Santi Padri'', the transitive “to ruin” in Saviozzo before 1420, and “to lose money, lose out” in Pietro Aretino (1546).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Compounds of the imperative type were formed in the 16th century: ''perdigiorno'' “idler” (Aretino has ''un uccel perde-il-giorno'' in 1536, Firenzuola the noun in 1549) and ''perditempo'';^(DELI 1999) ''a perdifiato'' “at the top of one's voice” is in Ippolito Nievo (1857–1858).^(DELI 1999) ''A perdita d'occhio'' “as far as the eye can see” is probably a calque of French ''à perte de vue'', recorded from 1606.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomino Pugliese uses ''perdere'' for ceasing to have something.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for mislaying.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1303 – Onesto da Bologna uses it for missing something.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses it for wasting, for losing a contest, and reflexively for getting lost.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1536 – Pietro Aretino coins ''perde-il-giorno''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1546 – Aretino uses ''perdere'' for losing out.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1857–1858 – Ippolito Nievo uses ''a perdifiato''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|lose]], to cease to have something, or to [[m|en|mislay]] it: ''Ho perso le chiavi della macchina.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To lose a part of the body, a faculty or a quality: ''perdere l’udito'', ''perdere la calma'', ''perdere peso'', to lose weight.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To lose someone through death or estrangement.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To [[m|en|leak]], let a liquid or gas escape: ''La lavatrice perde acqua.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # To [[m|en|miss]] something through lateness or carelessness: ''Abbiamo perso l'ultimo treno.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|waste]]: ''perdere tempo''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To be defeated, lose a game, a war, a lawsuit; to lose money.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+ # ''(pronominal, perdersi)'' To get lost, go astray; figuratively, to be ruined.^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[perdita]]

+ * [[perdente]]

+ * [[perduto]]

+ * [[perso]]

+ * [[perdizione]]

+ * [[perdigiorno]]

+ * [[perditempo]]

+ * [[perdifiato]]

+ * [[perdibile]]

+ * [[sperdere]]

+ * [[disperdere]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[la|perdo]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Both past participles are in use, ''perso'' being the commoner, and the past historic has ''persi'', ''perdei'' and ''perdetti''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary) Common phrases include ''lasciar perdere'' “to let something go, drop it”, ''perdere la testa'' “to lose one's head”, ''perdere le staffe'' “to lose one's temper” and ''perdere di vista'' “to lose sight of”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}