indietro Italian · revision 37726

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1304–1308, Dante|origins=la retrō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /inˈdjɛ.tro/, /inˈdje.tro/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''indietro''' (invariable); also written ''in dietro''.^(Wiktionary)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ Old forms include [[roa-oit|indreto]], [[m|roa-oit|indrieto]] and [[m|roa-oit|indirieto]].^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(GDLI|7, 800)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It continues [[inh|la-vul|*in dē retrō]], a phrase made of [[la|in|t=in]], [[m|la|dē|t=from]] and [[m|la|retrō|t=backwards, behind]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Wiktionary and Gabrielli describe it instead as formed in Italian from [[in]] and [[dietro]], which itself goes back to the phrase [[la-lat|dē retrō]].^(Wiktionary)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ DELI and Devoto trace the sound changes: ⟨*in d(e)retro⟩ lost a vowel and its first ⟨r⟩ by dissimilation, giving ⟨*indetro⟩, and the ⟨e⟩ became the diphthong ⟨ie⟩ before ⟨-tr-⟩, as in an open syllable.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto 1968) Körting sets the same phrase behind [[ro|îndărăt]].^(Körting 1907)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Dante's ''Convivio'', 1304–1308, in the sense “towards what lies behind”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) GDLI quotes it: “sì come dormire lo die e vegghiare la notte, e andar indietro e non innanzi” (like sleeping by day and staying awake at night, and walking backwards and not forwards).^(GDLI|7, 800)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Pietro Bembo distinguished ''addietro'', which shows position, from ''indietro'', which shows movement, but the modern language uses ''indietro'' for both.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Figurative senses grew from “behind”: late (''essere indietro col lavoro''), slow on a clock, backward or undeveloped (''un paese indietro''), and slow-witted in familiar use.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) Many verbs form phrases with it, such as ''dare indietro'' “to give back”, ''volere indietro'' “to want back” and ''tirarsi indietro'' “to back out”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Fare marcia indietro'' and ''fare macchina indietro'', “to reverse” and figuratively “to back down”, come from the technical language of motoring.^(DELI 1999) The verb ''indietreggiare'' “to draw back” is recorded from the 14th century.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1304–1308 – Dante uses ''indietro'' in the ''Convivio''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th century – ''indietreggiare'' appears in the ''Storia di Rinaldo da Montalbano''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|back]], [[m|en|backwards]]: towards or in the place behind someone or something: ''Non guardare indietro.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # (figurative) [[m|en|behind]], late compared with what was expected: ''Sono indietro con gli esami.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Of a clock, slow: ''La sveglia è dieci minuti indietro.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # With verbs, back to the giver: ''dare indietro'', ''volere indietro'', ''mandare indietro'' (to give back, want back, send back).^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # (invariable) Backward, little developed: ''una regione ancora indietro''.^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ===Interjection===

+ # Back!: an order to move back: ''Indietro, lasciate passare!''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[indietreggiare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[dietro]]

+ * [[addietro]]

+ * [[retro]]

+ * [[la|retrō]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''All'indietro'' means “backwards” (''cadere all'indietro''), and ''avanti e indietro'' “to and fro”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020) The stressed vowel is open in the traditional pronunciation and close in parts of the north.^(DiPI)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}