rispondere Italian · revision 37757

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th or early 13th century, Ritmo laurenziano|origins=la spondeō}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /risˈpon.de.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''rispondere''' (first-person singular present rispóndo, first-person singular past historic rispósi, past participle rispósto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-lat|respondeō|alt=respŏndere|t=to answer]], the Late Latin form of the classical verb, which had a long /ē/ in the infinitive and moved to the third conjugation;^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary) DELI dates the new form to the 4th century, in the veterinary treatise of Chiron.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb is formed with [[m|la|re-|t=back, again]] on [[m|la|spondeō|t=to promise solemnly]];^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Nocentini describes it as a term of religious language, originally “to promise in return, to bind oneself in reply”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Already in Latin it meant “to echo”, as in Cicero's “saxa respondent voci” (the rocks answer the voice), and in Columella “to yield a crop”.^(DELI 1999)

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+ The verb is found in every Romance language: [[fr|répondre]], [[oc|respondre]], [[ca|responder]], [[es|responder]], [[pt|responder]] and [[ro|răspunde]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)^(DÉRom) The DÉRom reconstructs a Proto-Romance verb meaning “to answer”, “to correspond” and “to be responsible”, and argues that the abstract senses are secondary because Sardinian lacks them.^(DÉRom)

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+ De Vaan traces Latin [[m|la|spondeō]] to [[itc-pro|*spondejō|alt=*spondeje/o-]], from [[ine-pro|*spond-éye-|t=to pour a libation]], cognate with [[hit|išpānt-|t=to libate]] and [[grc|σπένδω|tr=spéndō|t=to pour a libation]].^(de Vaan 2008) The same verb is behind [[sposo]], [[responsabile]] and [[responso]].^(Nocentini 2010)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in the ''Ritmo laurenziano'', of the late 12th or early 13th century, with the sense “to speak in turn to someone who has asked a question; to reply to a speech or a letter”.^(DELI 1999) GRADIT dates the word to 1219.^(GRADIT 2003)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Most of the figurative senses were in place by the 14th century.^(DELI 1999) Dante uses the verb for making one action follow another in response and for satisfying a wish; a Florentine text of 1277 uses it for being bound to someone; the Italian version of Crescenzi (about 1350) has “to correspond”; and Petrarch (1374) has “to obey an impulse or command”.^(DELI 1999) The transitive use, “to say in reply”, is in the ''Novellino'' at the end of the 13th century.^(DELI 1999)

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+ Later centuries added “to retort” (Filippo Sassetti, 1587), “to face, open onto” (Alessandro Piccolomini, 1545), “to follow suit” at cards (Lorenzo Lippi, before 1665) and “to be answerable” (1812).^(DELI 1999) Commenting on Lippi in 1688, Paolo Minucci explained ''rispondere per le rime'' “to reply in kind” as an image taken from poetry.^(DELI 1999)

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+ The noun ''risposta'' is the feminine of the past participle; in fencing it named the return thrust after a parry (1553), and French borrowed it as ''riposte''.^(DELI 1999)^(REW 1935) An older noun, ''risponsione'', from Latin, was common in the earliest writers.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th or early 13th century – The ''Ritmo laurenziano'' has ''rispondere''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1219 – GRADIT's date for the word.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1277 – A Florentine text uses it for being bound to someone.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Late 13th century – The ''Novellino'' uses it transitively.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses it for answering with an action.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1374 – Petrarch uses it for obeying an impulse.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1553 – ''Risposta'' names a fencing riposte.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1587 – Filippo Sassetti uses it for retorting.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1812 – The sense “to be answerable” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|answer]], reply to a person, a question or a letter, with ''a'': ''Mi ha risposto con una lunga lettera.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To answer back, [[m|en|retort]] rudely: ''Non rispondere così a tua nonna!''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To respond with a gesture or an action; to answer the telephone or the door; to return fire.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To meet, [[m|en|correspond]] to expectations or needs: ''Il nuovo modello non risponde alle nostre esigenze.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To be [[m|en|responsible]], answer for, with ''di'': ''Rispondo io della sua onestà.''^(Wiktionary)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Of a pain, to be felt in another part of the body.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(cards)'' To follow suit.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)

+ # ''(uncommon)'' To face, open onto a place.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+ # Transitively, to say in reply: ''Ha risposto che sarebbe venuto.''^(Wiktionary)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[risposta]]

+ * [[rispondente]]

+ * [[rispondenza]]

+ * [[corrispondere]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[irresponsabile]]

+ * [[responsabile]]

+ * [[responsione]]

+ * [[responso]]

+ * [[sposo]]

+ * [[la|respondeō]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The past historic is ''risposi'' (old ''rispuosi'') and the past participle ''risposto''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Set phrases include ''rispondere per le rime'' “to reply in kind” and ''rispondere picche'' “to refuse flatly”.^(GRADIT 2003) The proverb ''il domandare è lecito, il rispondere è cortesia'' means that anyone may ask, but an answer is a courtesy, not a right.^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}