seguire Italian · revision 37817

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 13th century, Novellino|origins=ine-pro *sekʷ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /seˈɡwi.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''seguire''' (first-person singular present séguo or sèguo, first-person singular past historic seguìi, past participle seguìto, auxiliary (transitive) avére or (intransitive) èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*sequiō|alt=*sequīre]], the spoken Latin form that replaced the deponent [[la|sequor|t=to follow]] and moved it into the conjugation in ⟨-ire⟩.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wikizionario)^(Wiktionary) Nocentini gives the Vulgar Latin form as [[m|la-vul|*sequō|alt=*sequere]], the form REW and Körting also start from.^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)^(Körting 1907) Devoto explains the ⟨gu⟩ for Latin ⟨qu⟩ as a northern voicing.^(Devoto 1968) The same verb is [[fr|suivre]], [[oc|segre]], [[ca|seguir]], [[es|seguir]] and [[pt|seguir]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)^(Körting 1907)

+

+ The Latin verb goes back to [[itc-pro|*sekʷōr]] and [[ine-pro|*sekʷ-|t=to follow, accompany]], with cognates in [[grc|ἕπομαι|tr=hépomai]], [[sa|सचते|tr=sácate]] and [[lt|sekti]]; in Germanic the root came to mean “to see”, as in [[got|𐍃𐌰𐌹𐍈𐌰𐌽|tr=saiƕan]] and [[de|sehen]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary)^(Devoto 1968)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is the ''Novellino'', at the end of the 13th century, in the sense “to walk after, go behind someone who leads”; the same text has the intransitive sense “to happen, come after”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The figurative senses followed quickly: “to keep to what others say or do” in Brunetto Latini and “to profess an idea, a doctrine, a master” in Guittone, both before 1294.^(DELI 1999) The sense “to follow as a consequence” is in Vincenzo Borghini (before 1580).^(DELI 1999) Old Italian had the present ''seguisco'' and the past ''seguetti'' beside ''seguo'' and ''seguii''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Seguace'' “follower” is in Jacopone (as ''sequace'', before 1306) and Dante, and ''seguente'' “following” in the ''Novellino''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ In music, the third person ''segue'' “(now) follows” marked a passage to be played on without a break;^(Etymonline) English took it in 1740, used it as a noun for any smooth transition from 1937 and as a verb by 1958.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 13th century – The ''Novellino'' uses ''seguire'' and ''seguente''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone uses it for professing a doctrine.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1306 – Jacopone uses ''sequace''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1580 – Vincenzo Borghini uses it for “to follow as a consequence”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1740 – English ''segue'' is first recorded in music.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|follow]], go after someone or something: ''Seguite la guida e non perdetevi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To tail, shadow someone secretly: ''Si accorse che una macchina lo seguiva.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To follow a road, a route or a direction: ''Segui il fiume fino al ponte.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To follow with one's eyes or attention; to keep up with, understand: ''Scusa, non ti seguo.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To look after, take care of: ''un'insegnante che segue ogni studente''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To follow a course, a programme or a sport regularly: ''Segue il calcio da quando era bambino.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To adhere to a doctrine, a school or a master: ''seguire Aristotele''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To comply with advice, rules or fashion: ''Ho seguito il tuo consiglio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive, auxiliary essere)'' To come after in order or time; to result: ''Al pranzo seguì un breve discorso.''^(Wiktionary)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[seguente]]

+ * [[seguito]]

+ * [[seguace]]

+ * [[inseguire]]

+ * [[riseguire]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[conseguire]]

+ * [[eseguire]]

+ * [[perseguire]]

+ * [[proseguire]]

+ * [[segugio]]

+ * [[seguitare]]

+ * [[susseguire]]

+ * [[sequenza]]

+ * [[sequela]]

+ * [[la|sequor]]

+ * [[en|segue]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Seguire le orme di qualcuno'' means “to follow in someone's footsteps”, and ''seguire la corrente'' “to go with the flow”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}