abbastanza Italian · revision 37685

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=before 1294, Guittone d'Arezzo (as a bastanza)}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ab.basˈtan.t͡sa/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''abbastanza''' (invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+ Older and literary ''a bastanza'', written separately.^(GDLI)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is an old phrase meaning “to sufficiency”, written as one word, formed [[af|it|a|bastanza]], with ⟨bastanza⟩, an old noun for “sufficiency” now out of use, made from [[bastare|t=to be enough]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary) DEI calls it a popular Italian formation, parallel to the phrase with [[sufficienza]], of the same type as [[accanto]], [[addosso]] and [[appunto]].^(DEI|4)

+

+ The LEI traces the verb to a supposed verb [[la-vul|*bastō|alt=*bastāre|t=to suffice]]; the sense is shared with Old Occitan, Catalan, Spanish and Portuguese, where it replaced [[la|sufficiō]].^(LEI|5, 96) Wiktionary compares [[es|bastante]].^(Wiktionary) Eugenio Coseriu, quoted by DELI, compared the idiom for “to have had enough of it” with a Greek phrase of the same meaning.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The phrase ''a bastanza'' “sufficiently” is first recorded in Guittone d'Arezzo, who died in 1294.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)^(Nocentini 2010) The spelling ''abbastanza'' is found in Luigi Pulci and Marsilio Ficino, both before 1500, but ''a bastanza'' was still the usual form in Boiardo, Castiglione and Tasso.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The adverb at first meant “in sufficient measure”, as in Matteo Villani's ''oltre a bastanza'' “beyond what was enough”.^(TLIO)^(GDLI) From “enough” it came to mean “rather, fairly” before an adjective or adverb, and it is used ironically for “more than enough” (''hai scherzato abbastanza!'').^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) It also works as an invariable adjective (“enough bread”) and as a pronoun, and ''averne abbastanza'' means “to be fed up”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ The word passed into Venetian and Istriot.^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses ''a bastanza''.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+ * Before 1363 – Matteo Villani writes ''oltre a bastanza''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI)

+ * Before 1484 – Luigi Pulci writes ''abbastanza'' as one word.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 15th century – Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti date the single-word form to this century.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|enough]], [[m|en|sufficiently]], as much as is needed: ''Stanotte non ho dormito abbastanza.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(ironic)'' More than enough, too much: ''Ti sei lamentato abbastanza!''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(before an adjective or adverb)'' [[m|en|fairly]], rather, quite: ''un esame abbastanza difficile''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(invariable)'' Enough, sufficient: ''Non abbiamo abbastanza sedie.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Pronoun===

+ # What is enough, ''averne abbastanza (di)'' “to be fed up (with)”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[bastare]]

+ * [[basta]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}