controllare Italian · revision 37862

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1773, Pietro Verri|origins=fro contrerole}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /kon.trolˈla.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''controllare''' (first-person singular present contròllo, first-person singular past historic controllài, past participle controllàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|fr|contrôler]], a verb formed from [[m|fr|contrôle|t=check, verification]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) GRADIT also analyses it as an Italian derivative of [[controllo]], formed on the French model.^(GRADIT 2003) The French noun goes back to [[fro|contrerole]] (14th century), literally a counter-register, that is a register kept in duplicate so that one copy could be checked against the other.^(DELI 1999)^(DEI|1085) Its parts are [[m|fro|contre|t=against]] and the word for a roll or list that Italian later borrowed as [[ruolo]], and Medieval Latin had the matching [[m|la-med|contrarotulum]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|1085)

+

+ DELI dates the French verb to 1210, in the form ⟨contreroller⟩, GRADIT to 1310 and the GDLI to 1437.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI|3, 700) After a few scattered early records, the noun, the verb and [[controllore]] spread in Italy under Napoleonic rule and held their ground against the purists.^(DELI 1999) The senses of domination and mastery are calques of English [[m|en|control]].^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Pietro Verri (1773), with the sense “to examine something to make sure it is correct or valid”.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) GRADIT dates the verb to 1779, and Nocentini, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti put it before 1812.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 19th century Tommaseo marked it as a foreign word and suggested ''controruolare'' if a calque was wanted, or native verbs such as ''riscontrare'' “to check against” and ''sindacare'' “to review someone's work”.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(DELI 1999) The word nevertheless became the ordinary verb for checking tickets, documents and accounts.^(GDLI)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ The sense “to hold under one's power, dominate”, modelled on English, is recorded in Panzini's dictionary of 1935, and the reflexive ''controllarsi'' “to keep one's impulses in check” in the Accademia's dictionary of 1941.^(DELI 1999) Today the verb also covers supervising people, regulating machines, marking an opponent in football and keeping control of a car or a situation.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1210 – The French verb is recorded as ⟨contreroller⟩.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1773 – Pietro Verri uses ''controllare'' for “to check, verify”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1812 – Bernardoni records ''controllo'' “check” in his list of words to avoid.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1861–1879 – Tommaseo's dictionary marks the verb as foreign.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+ * 1935 – Panzini's dictionary records the sense “to dominate”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1941 – The reflexive ''controllarsi'' “to restrain oneself” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|check]], examine something to make sure it is correct, valid or in order: ''Prima di partire controllo sempre le gomme.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To keep watch over, [[m|en|supervise]] someone or something: ''Chi controlla i ragazzi durante la gita?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To keep under [[m|en|surveillance]]: ''Gli agenti controllano le strade intorno allo stadio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To regulate the working of a machine or system.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To hold under one's power, [[m|en|dominate]] (a market, a territory, a company).^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(transitive, figurative)'' To master, keep in check: ''controllare i nervi'', to keep calm.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Controllare l'auto'' means to keep the car under control.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive, football)'' To mark an opponent, or to keep possession of the ball.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' ''controllarsi'': to control oneself, restrain one's impulses: ''Ha provato a controllarsi, ma alla fine è scoppiato a ridere.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(reciprocal)'' ''controllarsi'': to keep an eye on each other.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[controllabile]]

+ * [[controllato]]

+ * [[ricontrollare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[controllo]]

+ * [[autocontrollo]]

+ * [[ruolo]]

+ * [[fr|contrôle]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}