nemmeno Italian · revision 37711

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=before 1694, Marcello Malpighi|origins=la nec}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /nemˈme.no/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|it|né|meno]], written as one word.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Treccani 2011) [[né|alt=Né]] continues [[la|nec|t=and not]].^(REW 1935) Wiktionary adds that the Italian phrase may also continue Latin [[m|la|nē|t=not]] [[m|la|minimum]] [[m|la|quidem]] “not even the least”, with the comparative in place of the superlative, and [[m|la|minus|alt=nec minus]] “nor less”.^(Wiktionary) Tommaseo matched it with classical ⟨ne quidem⟩ “not even”, and quoted ⟨nec minus⟩ from Virgil.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861|3, 466)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record of the adverb and conjunction is in Marcello Malpighi, who died in 1694, in the sense “not even”.^(DELI 1999) An earlier example from the preacher Giordano da Pisa, given by Tommaseo and by GDLI, is false: Tommaseo took it from the fourth Crusca dictionary, which recorded it under ''impattare''.^(DELI 1999) Zingarelli dates the word, also written ''né meno'', to before 1535.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ For a long time the phrase was written as two words: in 1848 Ugolini observed that many good modern writers used ''neppure'' and ''nemmeno'', but that the Crusca recorded only ''nè pure'' and ''nè meno''.^(DELI 1999) Tommaseo recommended the single word, to keep the sense “not even” apart from ''né più né meno'' “neither more nor less”.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861|3, 466) Today it has the same meanings and uses as ''neanche'' and ''neppure''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) In colloquial speech it can also introduce a clause in the subjunctive with the value “as if”.^(GRADIT 2003) Set phrases of refusal include ''nemmeno per sogno'', ''nemmeno per idea'' and ''nemmeno morto''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1535 – Zingarelli's date for the word.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ * Before 1694 – Marcello Malpighi uses ''nemmeno'' “not even”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1848 – Ugolini notes that the Crusca records only ''nè meno''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|not even]]: ''Non ha nemmeno risposto alla mia lettera.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # [[m|en|neither]], not … either, after a negative: ''Lui non c'era, e nemmeno sua sorella.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # Not even, introducing a clause: ''nemmeno se lo pagassero''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' With the subjunctive, [[m|en|as if]]: ''Mi ha guardato storto, nemmeno gli avessi rubato il posto.''^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[almeno]]

+ * [[neanche]]

+ * [[neppure]]

+ * [[né]]

+ * [[meno]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}