almeno Italian · revision 37747

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=early 13th century, Patecchio's Splanamento}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /alˈme.no/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''almeno''' (adverb; literary and dated also written separately, ''al meno'')^(Wiktionary)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ Old Italian forms include [[m|roa-oit|almen]], [[m|roa-oit|almino]], [[m|roa-oit|allmen]], [[m|roa-oit|ammino]] and southern [[m|roa-oit|alminu]].^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|it|al|meno]] written as one word, literally “at the least”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The Romance languages have parallel phrases: [[fr|au moins]], [[es|al menos]], [[pt|ao menos]] and [[ca|almenys]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in Patecchio's ''Splanamento'', a didactic poem from Cremona of the early 13th century, where it introduces a lesser alternative to something denied: “if not more, at least”.^(TLIO)^(Nocentini 2010) DELI dates it from Dante's ''Vita nuova'' (1293–1294), whose opening says that the author will copy out the words of his memory, “and if not all of them, at least their meaning” (''e se non tutte, almeno la loro sentenzia'').^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|1, 343)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the start the adverb had two uses: “if nothing else”, setting a smaller alternative against a greater one, and “at the very least” with numbers and amounts.^(TLIO) In Old Italian it already appeared in wishes and commands, as it does today with the imperfect subjunctive: Dante's Matelda says ''Ponete mente almen com'io son bella!'' (“Consider at least how beautiful I am!”).^(TLIO)^(GDLI|1, 343)

+

+ Tommaseo records the doubled ''almeno almeno'' as a stronger form, and Manzoni used it.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(Treccani 2011) The spelling ''al meno'' survives only as a literary or dated variant.^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Early 13th century – Patecchio of Cremona uses the adverb in the ''Splanamento''.^(TLIO)

+ * 1293–1294 – Dante uses ''almeno'' in the ''Vita nuova''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # At [[m|en|least]], if nothing else: ''Rispondimi almeno con un messaggio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # With numbers and quantities, at the very least, no fewer than: ''Saranno almeno due chilometri.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # With the imperfect or pluperfect subjunctive, expressing a wish or a regret: ''Almeno smettesse di piovere!'', ''se almeno me l'avessi detto prima''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # As a connective, limiting what has just been said: at any rate, anyway.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[meno]]

+ * [[perlomeno]]

+ * [[fr|au moins]]

+ * [[es|al menos]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Almeno'' can be strengthened by ''se non'' introducing the greater alternative (''se non oggi, almeno domani'').^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Its synonyms are ''perlomeno'' and ''quantomeno''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}