divertire Italian · revision 38138

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=14th century, Italian version of Livy|origins=la vertō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /di.verˈti.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''divertire''' (first-person singular present divèrto, first-person singular past historic divertìi, past participle divertìto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|dīvertō|alt=dīvertere|t=to turn aside, go another way]], from [[m|la|vertō|t=to turn]] with the prefix [[m|la|dis-]], and it moved from the conjugation in ⟨-ere⟩ to that in ⟨-ire⟩; the older form [[divertere]] survived in literary use.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) DEI and Devoto think the word came through [[fr|divertir]], and Gabrielli derives it from French.^(DEI|1366)^(Devoto 1968)^(Gabrielli 2020) The LEI files it under the classical form [[la|dēvertō|alt=dēvertere]], which also lives on in French.^(LEI|20, 81)

+

+ The sense “to amuse” grew out of “to turn away (from worries)”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) The same shift happened in [[ca|divertir]], [[es|divertir]] and [[pt|divertir]], and in French from 1608.^(LEI|20, 81)^(Körting 1907)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is the 14th-century Italian version of Livy, with the sense “to turn away, divert”.^(DELI 1999) The form ''divertere'' is in the Anonimo Genovese in 1311.^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the late 15th century the verb belonged to war and engineering: Bibbiena in 1494 and Guicciardini before 1540 used it for drawing the enemy's forces away from the real target, and Nardi before 1563 for diverting a river.^(LEI|20, 81) Tommaseo quotes Vasari on diverting part of the waters of the Brenta.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) ''Divertimento'' meant “a turning away” in Bembo in 1525, a sense not used after the 17th century.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The modern sense, “to cheer someone up by giving them something pleasant to do”, is in Lorenzo Magalotti in 1708–1709, and the reflexive ''divertirsi'' “to spend one's time pleasantly” in Goldoni in 1763.^(DELI 1999) ''Divertimento'' “pastime” is in Segneri in 1679, and ''divertente'' “amusing” in Alfieri before 1803.^(DELI 1999) In 1929 Moravia's ''Gli indifferenti'' has ''divertirsi'' for taking up a love affair without commitment.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1311 – The form ''divertere'' is in the Anonimo Genovese.^(TLIO)

+ * 14th century – The Italian version of Livy uses ''divertire'' “to turn away”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1494 – Bibbiena uses it for thwarting the enemy's plan.^(LEI|20, 81)

+ * 1525 – Bembo uses ''divertimento'' “turning away”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1679 – Segneri uses ''divertimento'' “pastime”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1708–1709 – Magalotti uses ''divertire'' “to amuse”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1763 – Goldoni uses ''divertirsi'' “to enjoy oneself”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1803 – Alfieri uses ''divertente''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|amuse]], to [[m|en|entertain]], to take someone's mind off cares and cheer them: ''Il prestigiatore ha divertito i bambini per un'ora.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(literary)'' To turn away, to divert: ''divertire lo sguardo''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(military)'' To draw the enemy's forces away from the point of the real attack.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(reflexive, divertirsi)'' To enjoy oneself, to have fun: ''Alla festa di Luca ci siamo divertiti moltissimo.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(reflexive, divertirsi a)'' To take pleasure in doing something: ''Si diverte a nascondere le chiavi al fratello.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(reflexive, divertirsi con)'' To have a love affair without commitment.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[divertente]]

+ * [[divertimento]]

+ * [[divertito]]

+ * [[divertevole]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[diverso]]

+ * [[divergere]]

+ * [[la|dīvertō]]

+ * [[fr|divertir]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In the literary sense “to turn away” the present tense may be ''divertisco'' instead of ''diverto''.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}