domanda Italian · revision 37670

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1288, Egidio Romano volgarizzato|origins=la mandō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /doˈman.da/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''domanda''' ''f'' (plural domande)^(Wiktionary)

+ The older and Tuscan form is [[roa-oit|dimanda]], and the TLIO also records [[roa-oit|demanda]].^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a deverbal noun from [[domandare]], formed without a suffix.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)^(Devoto 1968) The verb continues [[la|dēmandō|t=to entrust, commend]], from [[m|la|mandō|t=to entrust; to send word]] with the prefix [[m|la|dē-]]; in all the Romance languages except Romanian it came to mean “to ask”, through “to commend” and “to send to find out”: [[fr|demander]], [[oc|demandar]], [[ca|demanar]], [[es|demandar]], [[pt|demandar]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)

+

+ The ⟨o⟩ of the first syllable comes from a pretonic ⟨e⟩ before the labial ⟨m⟩, as in [[domani]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) According to Maurizio Vitale, quoted by DELI, ⟨dimandare⟩ was the ordinary Florentine form, while ⟨domandare⟩ had a more popular ring.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in the Sienese translation of Egidio Romano of 1288, in the form ''dimanda'', for a question: “E noi alla dimanda ed allo incherimento di questa questione rispondemo” (and we reply to the question and inquiry on this matter).^(TLIO) DELI dates ''dimanda'' to Guittone d'Arezzo, before 1294, where it means a request.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Italian the word covered both questions and requests: an ambassador's message, a petition to an authority, a claim in court, a bill put to a council, and a prayer to God, including each of the seven petitions of the Lord's Prayer.^(TLIO) The form ''domanda'' is recorded in Rinaldo degli Albizzi before 1442.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ''Domanda'' for a written petition is found in the laws of Tuscany and in Vittorio Alfieri, before 1803, and the economic sense, the quantity of a good sought at a given price, in Francesco Carletti before 1636.^(DELI 1999) Today it is the usual word for a question, beside the more formal ''quesito'', and for an application to an office.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1288 – The Sienese Egidio Romano uses ''dimanda'' “question”.^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses ''dimanda'' “request”.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1442 – Rinaldo degli Albizzi uses the form ''domanda''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1636 – Francesco Carletti uses it for economic demand.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1803 – Vittorio Alfieri uses it for a written petition.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|question]], what one asks in order to know something: ''Posso farti una domanda?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A question set in a test or an examination: ''Ho sbagliato l'ultima domanda di storia.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # A request or [[m|en|application]] to an office or an authority: ''Ha presentato domanda per una borsa di studio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(economics)'' [[m|en|demand]], the quantity of a good or service sought on the market at a given price, as in ''domanda e offerta''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(law)'' The claim made in a civil action.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[domandare]]

+ * [[mandare]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Fare una domanda'' is “to ask a question”;^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) ''che domande!'' answers a question that is pointless or obvious.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) ''Domanda di matrimonio'' is a proposal of marriage.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}