cadere Italian · revision 38135

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=12th century (second half), Ritmo di Sant'Alessio|origins=la cadō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /kaˈde.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''cadere''' (first-person singular present càdo, first-person singular past historic càddi, past participle cadùto, first-person singular future cadrò, auxiliary èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old and literary forms from a stem ''cagg-'' include the present [[roa-oit|caggio]], the subjunctive [[roa-oit|caggia]] and the gerund [[roa-oit|caggendo]].^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(LEI|9, 408)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*cadeō|alt=*cadēre]], a Vulgar Latin form of classical [[la|cadō|alt=cadĕre|t=to fall]] that moved the verb into the conjugation in ⟨-ēre⟩.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The LEI finds that change already in Late Latin; the classical stress survives only in relic areas: [[ca|caure]], [[pro|caire]] and above all the dialects of southern Italy.^(LEI|9, 408) The DÉRom reconstructs both inflections for Proto-Romance and judges the type with the classical stress, found in Istriot, in islands of northern and central Italian dialects, in the South, in Occitan, Gascon and Catalan, to be the older one.^(DÉRom)

+

+ The verb is panromance: [[fr|choir]], now obsolete and replaced by [[m|fr|tomber]], [[oc|cazer]], [[es|caer]], [[pt|cair]] and [[ro|cădea]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) Meyer-Lübke notes that it is rare in Lombard, Venetian and Rhaeto-Romance.^(REW 1935) A first person singular in ⟨-eo⟩, as in [[m|la|sedeō]], gave the palatal stem of the old forms [[m|roa-oit|caggio]] and [[m|roa-oit|caggia]], with an analogical infinitive [[m|roa-oit|caggere]].^(LEI|9, 408)

+

+ The Latin verb has few certain cognates: de Vaan reconstructs a [[itc-pro|*kad-e/o-]] and, with a question mark, a PIE [[ine-pro|*ḱh₂d-]] “to fall”, comparing [[sa|शशाद|tr=śaśāda|t=has fallen]].^(de Vaan 2008) Nocentini explains the lack of comparisons by the frequent renewal of verbs for “fall”: French replaced the verb, and Italian has [[cascare]] beside it.^(Nocentini 2010) DELI calls the root unclear.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is the ''Ritmo di Sant'Alessio'', a poem from the Marche of the second half of the 12th century.^(TLIO) DELI dates the physical sense “to move downward by gravity, without support” to Cielo d'Alcamo (1231–1250).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Figurative senses came early: “to decline, come down in the world” is in Bonagiunta before 1257, and “to fall into, find oneself in (a situation)” in Brunetto Latini before 1294.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Dante writes of two figures who “cadder nel mezzo del bogliente stagno” (they fell into the middle of the boiling pond).^(GDLI|2) The TLIO also records it for a star or constellation that sets, and for a surface close to vertical.^(TLIO)

+

+ Tommaseo distinguished the generic ''cadere'', which only says that something comes down, from ''cascare'', which points to the place from which or onto which it comes and often implies a heavier fall.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The verb gathered a large phraseology, for which DELI refers to Tommaseo and the GDLI.^(DELI 1999) The past participle ''caduto'' took the sense “killed in battle” with Vincenzo Monti in 1810, and ''caduta'' the political sense “fall of a power” with Daniello Bartoli before 1685.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 12th century (second half) – The ''Ritmo di Sant'Alessio'' has the first record.^(TLIO)

+ * 1231–1250 – Cielo d'Alcamo uses ''cadere'' of falling by gravity.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1257 – Bonagiunta uses the sense “to decline”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1288 – The noun ''caduta'' is recorded (as ''chaduta'').^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1525 – ''Cadenza'' is recorded as a musical term.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1550 – Giorgio Vasari uses ''caditoia'' for an opening in a fortification.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1810 – Vincenzo Monti uses ''caduto'' for a soldier killed in battle.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|fall]], drop from above by its own weight: ''Il bicchiere è caduto dal tavolo e si è rotto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Of a person, to fall down, to lose one's balance: ''Sono caduta correndo sul ghiaccio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Of rain, snow or lightning, to come down: ''Stanotte è caduta molta neve sui monti.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To come off naturally, of leaves, hair or teeth: ''Al nonno sono caduti quasi tutti i capelli.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To [[m|en|collapse]], ''(figurative)'' of a government or a power, to be overthrown: ''Il ministero è caduto dopo appena sei mesi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To die in battle or in the line of duty: ''Il monumento ricorda i soldati caduti in guerra.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To fall into a state or a fault, as in ''cadere in errore'', ''cadere in tentazione'', ''cadere in contraddizione''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To hang down, of a curtain, hair or a garment: ''La gonna cade bene sui fianchi.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To drop, to cease, of prices, a hope or a telephone line: ''La linea è caduta proprio sul più bello.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # Of night or darkness, to fall; of the sun or the moon, to set.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[caduta]]

+ * [[caduto]]

+ * [[cadente]]

+ * [[cadenza]]

+ * [[cadenzare]]

+ * [[caditoia]]

+ * [[ricadere]]

+ * [[ricaduta]]

+ * [[decadere]]

+ * [[cadimento]]

+ * [[cadevole]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cascare]]

+ * [[la|cadō]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Set phrases include ''cadere dalle nuvole'' (to be taken completely by surprise), ''cadere dalla padella nella brace'' (to go from bad to worse) and ''cadere in piedi'' (to come out of a difficulty unharmed).^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) The verb takes ''essere'' as its auxiliary.^(Wiktionary)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}