partito Italian · revision 38244

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=first half of the 13th century, Guidotto da Bologna|origins=la pars}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /parˈti.to/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''partito''' ''m'' (plural partiti)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|it|partire|-ito]]: the past participle of the verb in its first sense “to divide”, used as an adjective and then as a noun.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968)^(Wiktionary) Treccani explains the noun as properly “what is divided, a part”.^(Treccani 2011) GRADIT numbers the verb it comes from as the second of its homographs, Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti as the first, but all mean the verb “to divide”, which is [[inh|la|partiō|alt=partīre|t=to divide, share]], from [[m|la|pars|t=part]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ The same noun is [[fr|parti]], [[es|partido]] and [[pt|partido]] “party”.^(REW 1935)^(DEI|2786) DEI compares the political sense of the French word, recorded from the 14th century and political from the 16th, which it sees as the source of English “party”.^(DEI|2786)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first records are of the sense “decision, course of action”, which GRADIT dates to the first half of the 13th century.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DIFIT) DELI's first example is in Guidotto da Bologna, who writes of Hannibal's choices that each of these courses was very bad to take (''Catuno de' detti partiti è molto reo a pigliare'').^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) The adjective “divided” is recorded in Restoro d'Arezzo in 1282.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the choice to be made, Old Italian moved to the condition someone is in (Domenico Cavalca, before 1342), still heard in ''essere a mal partito'', and to an expedient or resource (Luigi Pulci, before 1484).^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Old Italian also used the word for an agreement or terms, for a game, and in Florence for a vote of a council, recorded in the ''libro dei partiti''.^(DEI|2786)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

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+ The political sense, a group of people united to win and use power, is first recorded in Marchionne Stefani, before 1385, and DEI dates the sense “faction” to the 16th century.^(DELI 1999)^(DEI|2786) In 1513 Giovanni Filoteo Achillini uses ''partito'' for an offer or chance of marriage, the sense of ''un buon partito'', a good match.^(DELI 1999) The 16th century also had ''femmina di partito'', a prostitute.^(DEI|2786) In Siena the word was used for a secret agreement between two contrade.^(DEI|2786)

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+ The adjective became a term of heraldry, for a shield divided vertically into two equal halves (Carducci, 1891), and of botany, for a deeply divided leaf.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011) Colloquially a person who is ''partito'' is drunk, infatuated or out of their mind.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) German borrowed the noun as ''partida'' in 1557.^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * First half of the 13th century – ''Partito'' “decision” in Guidotto da Bologna.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1282 – The adjective “divided” in Restoro d'Arezzo.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses it for a condition or state.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1385 – Marchionne Stefani uses it for a political party.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1484 – Luigi Pulci uses it for an expedient.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1513 – Giovanni Filoteo Achillini uses it for a marriage offer.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1557 – German ''partida'' is recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1891 – Carducci uses the heraldic adjective.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A political [[m|en|party]], an organized association of citizens who share an ideology or programme: ''Si è iscritto a un partito a vent'anni.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A group of supporters of an idea or cause; a [[m|en|faction]]: ''Allora la città era divisa in due partiti.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A [[m|en|decision]] or course of action chosen to deal with a difficulty: ''non sapere che partito prendere''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # A person regarded as a [[m|en|match]] for marriage: ''un buon partito''.^(DELI 1999)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A condition or situation, now only in ''a mal partito'', in a bad way.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # ''(literary)'' Divided; split into factions.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(heraldry)'' [[m|en|party per pale]], divided vertically into two equal parts.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(botany)'' Of a leaf, divided more than halfway to the midrib or the base.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Gone, past all reason, from drink or love: ''Dopo tre bicchieri era già partito.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[partitico]]

+ * [[partitismo]]

+ * [[partitocrazia]]

+ * [[antipartito]]

+ * [[partitino]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[partire]]

+ * [[partizione]]

+ * [[partita]]

+ * [[parte]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Partito'' is also the past participle of [[partire]] “to leave” (''sono partito ieri'').^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Set phrases include ''per partito preso'' (out of prejudice), ''prendere partito'' (to take sides or decide), ''mettere la testa a partito'' (to settle down, come to one's senses) and ''trarre partito da'' (to take advantage of).^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}