appartenere Italian · revision 38208

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=c. 1260–1261, Brunetto Latini|origins=la teneō, la pars}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ap.par.teˈne.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''appartenere''' (first-person singular present appartèngo, first-person singular past historic apparténni or appartènni, past participle appartenùto, first-person singular future apparterrò, auxiliary èssere or avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old Italian forms include [[m|roa-oit|apartenere]] and forms with ⟨-gn-⟩ such as ⟨apartegna⟩ and ⟨apartegnente⟩.^(TLIO) Treccani records an old variant [[roa-oit|appertenere]].^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*apparteneō|alt=*appartenēre]], a Vulgar Latin verb formed with [[m|la|ad-]] on [[la|pars|t=part]] (genitive ⟨partis⟩).^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Most sources start instead from [[la-lat|appertineō|alt=appertinēre|t=to belong to]], which is [[m|la|pertineō|t=to extend; to concern, belong]] with the prefix [[m|la|ad-]], and explain the vowel of the second syllable by the influence of the noun for “part”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(DEI)^(Wiktionary) DELI reports the LEI's version of this chain: the Latin verb was remade as [[m|la-vul|*appertineō|alt=*appertinēre]] and then took its present vowel under the influence of the accusative ⟨partem⟩.^(DELI 1999)^(REW 1935)

+

+ The same Vulgar Latin verb is [[fr|appartenir]], [[pro|apartener]] and [[es|apertenecer]], and [[pt|pertencer]] is related, so DEI calls it a western Romance word.^(REW 1935)^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI) The English word [[m|en|appertain]] goes back to the same Late Latin verb.^(Wiktionary) The Latin [[m|la|pertineō]] is formed from [[m|la|per-]] and [[m|la|teneō|t=to hold]], which also gives Italian [[tenere]], and the Italian verb is conjugated like it.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in Brunetto Latini's ''Rettorica'', written in Florence about 1260–1261.^(TLIO)^(Nocentini 2010) The first sense DELI gives is “to be someone's property” and “to be part of something”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 14th century Giovanni Villani also used the verb for “to concern, be fitting”, and Boccaccio used the noun ''appartenenza''.^(Prati 1951|61)^(DELI 1999) The pronominal ''appartenersi'' meant “to be due to, befit someone”, as in Boccaccio's ''Ella cercò d'essere più savia che a lei non si apparteneva'' (“she tried to be wiser than befitted her”).^(Zingarelli 2010) An old sense “to be related by kinship” survives only in the dictionaries.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(GDLI)

+

+ Modern Italian uses the verb for property, for membership of a family, group, class or category, for the place of a species in a classification, and for a place that lies within a state or region.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011) In geometry a point belongs to a line or plane when it lies on it.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) The sense “to be someone's business or duty” is now uncommon.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1260–1261 – Brunetto Latini uses the verb in his ''Rettorica''.^(TLIO)

+ * 1288 – ''Appartenente'' “belonging” is first recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Late 13th century – ''Appartenenza'' is first recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 14th century – Giovanni Villani uses the verb for “to be fitting”.^(Prati 1951|61)

+ * Before 1363 – Matteo Villani uses ''appartenenza'' for the fact of belonging.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(intransitive, + a)'' To [[m|en|belong]] to someone, to be their [[m|en|property]]: ''Questa bicicletta appartiene a mio fratello.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive, + a)'' To be part of a group, class or category, or of a family: ''Appartiene a una vecchia famiglia di pescatori.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive, + a)'' Of a plant or animal, to be classed in a [[m|en|family]], order or genus: ''Il gatto appartiene alla famiglia dei felidi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive, + a)'' Of a place, to lie within the territory of a state, region or town.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(uncommon)'' To be someone's duty or [[m|en|responsibility]], to concern them.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(geometry)'' Of a point, to lie on a line or plane, or of a line, to lie on a plane.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[appartenente]]

+ * [[appartenenza]]

+ * [[appartenersi]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[pertenere]]

+ * [[tenere]]

+ * [[parte]]

+ * [[la|pertineo]]

+ * [[fr|appartenir]]

+ * [[en|appertain]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The verb is conjugated like ''tenere'' (''appartengo'', ''appartenni'', ''apparterrò'') and takes either ''essere'' or ''avere'' in compound tenses, ''avere'' being the rarer.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}