adorare Italian · revision 37879

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo di Sant'Alessio|origins=la ōrō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /a.doˈra.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''adorare''' (first-person singular present adóro, first-person singular past historic adorài, past participle adoràto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a learned word, [[bor|la|adōrō|t=to address, plead with, pray to; to worship]], formed from [[m|la|ōrō|t=to plead, pray]] with [[m|la|ad-]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(de Vaan 2008) In Church Latin the verb rendered [[grc|προσκυνέω|tr=proskunéō|t=to prostrate oneself, worship]].^(DEI)^(GDLI|1, 168) The LEI explains that the Latin verb survived as a popular word in [[fro|aorer]], [[pro|azorar]], [[osp|aorar]] and Old Catalan, and in northern Italy, while the Tuscan and Italian forms that keep the /d/ are learned, like [[fr|adorer]] (11th century) and [[es|adorar]] (1140).^(LEI|1, 791)^(REW 1935) Old Italian also had a form [[roa-oit|aorare]].^(DEI)^(Prati 1951)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ De Vaan argues that the simple verb first meant “to plead, speak openly”, and that it may be a verb formed from [[m|la|ōs|t=mouth]], although Walde–Hofmann and Ernout–Meillet thought this unlikely.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is the ''Ritmo di Sant'Alessio'', a poem from the Marche of the late 12th century, which has the form ''adhoraola'' (adore her), in the sense “to worship, honour a god”.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)^(LEI|1, 791) The secular sense, “to revere a person, love passionately”, appears early in the 13th century in Rinaldo d'Aquino and Giacomo da Lentini.^(DELI 1999)^(LEI|1, 791)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The intransitive use, “to pray”, is recorded before 1292 in Bono Giamboni, and Dante has “adora per color che sono in terra” (pray for those who are on earth).^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) The courtly love lyric made the lady an object of worship, and the TLIO records ''adorare'' for paying homage to a woman.^(TLIO)

+

+ The hyperbolic use, “to be very fond of” a food or a pastime, struck Alfredo Panzini in 1905 as an affected habit of young women who said ''io adoro le fragole'' instead of simply liking strawberries.^(DELI 1999) Derivatives came in through Latin as well: ''adoratore'' (before 1347), ''adorazione'' (before 1484, Feo Belcari) and ''adorabile'' (1666), which soon meant “delightful” as well as “worthy of worship”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – The ''Ritmo di Sant'Alessio'' has ''adhoraola''.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+ * Early 13th century – Rinaldo d'Aquino uses the verb for loving a person passionately.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it intransitively, “to pray”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1347 – ''Adoratore'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1484 – ''Adorazione'' is recorded in Feo Belcari.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1666 – ''Adorabile'' appears in Carlo de' Dottori.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1905 – Panzini criticizes ''adorare'' for “to like”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|worship]] a god; to honour with acts of devotion: ''adorare Dio''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To love deeply, [[m|en|adore]]: ''Adora i suoi nipoti.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To admire greatly, be passionate about: ''Adoro il jazz.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(hyperbolic)'' To like very much, especially a food: ''Adoro le castagne.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(archaic, intransitive)'' To [[m|en|pray]].^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[adorazione]]

+ * [[adoratore]]

+ * [[adorabile]]

+ * [[adorante]]

+ * [[adorato]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[orare]]

+ * [[orazione]]

+ * [[la|adōrō]]

+ * [[fr|adorer]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The biblical phrase ''adorare il vitello d'oro'', to worship the golden calf, is used of anyone who puts money above all else.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) The opposite of the hyperbolic sense is ''detestare''.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}