mattina Italian · revision 38070

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=before 1250, Giacomo da Lentini (maitina)|origins=la Matuta}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /matˈti.na/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''mattina''' ''f'' (plural mattine)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|mātūtīnus|alt=(hōra) mātūtīna|t=the morning hour]], the feminine of the adjective “of the morning” used as a noun, with [[m|la|hōra|t=hour]] understood.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The masculine [[mattino]] continues [[m|la|mātūtīnus|alt=(tempus) mātūtīnum]], with “time” understood.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Rohlfs, quoted by DELI, notes that the feminine is the usual form in most of Italy and the masculine the less common one, used for example in Lucania.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The adjective is derived from [[m|la|Mātūta|t=goddess of the dawn]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI) Nocentini traces the goddess's name to an adjective meaning “good” and puts it in one family with [[m|la|mātūrus|t=ripe]], [[m|la|mānus|t=good]] and the [[m|la|Mānēs|t=the good gods, spirits of the dead]], from a root [[ine-pro|*mā-]] also seen in [[ga|maith|t=good]].^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The form shows a shortening of the Latin word: Devoto explains it as the loss of one of two neighbouring syllables, and Sabatini–Coletti as the syncope of the vowel before the stress.^(Devoto 1968)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) DEI explains southern dialect forms and the [[fur|madin]] of Friulian and Ladin from a shortened [[la-vul|*mātīnum]] of the same kind, and notes that Latin borrowings survive in Basque and in [[de|Mette|t=matins]], from the Church's [[m|la-lat|mātūtīnus|alt=mātūtīnae laudēs|t=morning praises]].^(DEI|2393) In the Romance languages the word replaced Latin [[m|la|māne|t=in the morning]].^(DEI|2393)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The earliest record is Sicilian ''maitina'' in Giacomo da Lentini, before 1250; the form ''mattina'' is in Dante.^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GRADIT 2003) The TLIO's first citation is from the Venetian ''Proverbia que dicuntur'', and its Old Italian forms include ''matina'', ''maitina'', ''mactina'' and ''matin''.^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old Italian already had the uses of the modern word: placed after the days of the week and after ''ieri'' or ''domani'', in phrases such as ''questa mattina'' and ''la mattina per tempo'', and in ''dalla mattina alla sera'' “all day long”.^(TLIO) ''Una mattina'' “one morning” began stories then as now.^(TLIO) An old sense “the east, the direction of sunrise” is in Dante's ''Paradiso'' (''da mattina'') and is now obsolete.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ Manzoni's revision of ''I promessi sposi'' changed ''al mattin seguente'' (1825) to ''la mattina seguente'' (1840).^(DELI 1999) The derivative ''mattinata'' named a love song sung at dawn under the beloved's window (13th century), and later, in several dialects, the din of pans and whistles made at a widower's wedding;^(DELI 1999) ''mattinata'' “morning performance” is a recent loan from French ''matinée''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini writes ''maitina''.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses ''mattina''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca has ''mattinata'' for the hours of the morning.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1840 – Manzoni replaces ''mattino'' with ''mattina'' in the final edition of his novel.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1869 – Tommaseo–Bellini record ''mattinata musicale'', a morning concert.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|morning]], the part of the day from [[alba|alt=dawn]] to [[mezzogiorno|alt=midday]]: ''Ci vediamo domani mattina alle nove.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The morning as a span of time and what is done in it: ''Ho perso una mattina intera in banca.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''di prima mattina'': early in the morning, at first light.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''dalla sera alla mattina'': overnight, in a very short time.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''fare mattina'' or ''tirare mattina'': to stay up until the early morning.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(obsolete)'' The [[m|en|east]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[mattinale]]

+ * [[mattiniero]]

+ * [[mattino]]

+ * [[mattinata]]

+ * [[domattina]]

+ * [[stamattina]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[mattutino]]

+ * [[la|mane]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ After a day of the week the word is invariable: ''lunedì mattina'', ''tutte le domeniche mattina''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) ''Mattina'' and ''mattino'' mean the same;^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999) ''mattina'' is the commoner word in speech, while set phrases such as ''di buon mattino'' and ''i giornali del mattino'' have ''mattino''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}