ritornare Italian · revision 38324

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=early 13th century, Ritmo lucchese|origins=grc τόρνος}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ri.torˈna.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ritornare''' (first-person singular present ritórno, first-person singular past historic ritornài, past participle ritornàto, auxiliary (intransitive) èssere or (transitive) avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old and dialect forms include [[roa-oit|retornare]], [[roa-oit|aritornare]], [[roa-oit|retronare]] and [[roa-oit|ratronare]].^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|it|ri-|tornare|t1=again|t2=to return]], with the prefix of repetition.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto 1968) Nocentini treats [[fr|retourner]] and [[es|retornar]] as parallel formations made independently in each language;^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) Wiktionary derives the Italian verb from a Latin [[m|la|retornō]] instead.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) The noun [[ritorno]] is formed from the verb, and [[ritornello]] is the diminutive of that noun.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The simple verb [[tornare]] continues [[la|tornō|t=to turn on a lathe]], from [[m|la|tornus|t=lathe]], itself from [[grc|τόρνος|tr=tórnos|t=lathe; compasses]]; the Latin verb took over much of the meaning of [[m|la|volvō|t=to turn, roll]], and “to turn” became “to come back” in the Romance languages.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's earliest record is the ''Ritmo lucchese'', of the early 13th century, with the sense “to come again to the place one had left”, and the GDLI quotes the passage, where prisoners are sworn to go back to the Christians.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) Nocentini and GRADIT date the verb to the end of the 13th century.^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The sense “to become again” is found in Dante (1300–1313), and in the 14th century the literary sense “to turn out, to result”, as in ''ritornare in danno'' “to turn to someone's harm”.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) Old Italian also used the verb transitively for “to bring back, restore to a former state”, which is now literary or obsolete.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ The sense “to reappear, to come round again”, of the weather, an illness or a feast, is recorded by Tommaseo in 1872.^(DELI 1999) In southern Italy the verb is also used transitively for “to give back”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary) The noun ''ritorno'' appears before 1294 in Brunetto Latini and in Dante, and ''ritornello'', a recurring line of verse, is in the Latin of Francesco da Barberino in 1314 and in Italian by the 18th century.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Early 13th century – The ''Ritmo lucchese'' has ''ritornare''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses ''ritorno'' in a figurative sense.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses the verb for “to become again”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1314 – ''Ritornello'' appears in Francesco da Barberino's Latin.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1590 – Gioseffo Zarlino uses ''ritornello'' for a musical repeat.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1872 – Tommaseo records the sense “to reappear”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To [[m|en|return]], go or come back to the place one left or where one lives: ''Siamo ritornati a casa a mezzanotte.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To go back to someone, also to resume a relationship: ''Dopo un anno è ritornata con lui.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To take up an activity, a subject or a memory again: ''ritornare a studiare'', ''ritornare su una decisione''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To become again: ''Dopo la vacanza è ritornato tranquillo.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' Of a phenomenon or event, to come back, recur: ''A novembre è ritornata la nebbia.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(transitive, regional)'' To give back something: ''Mi ha ritornato il libro.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ritorno]]

+ * [[ritornello]]

+ * [[ritornarsene]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[tornare]]

+ * [[fr|retourner]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Ritornare in sé'' means to come round, regain consciousness or one's senses.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020) The verb takes ''essere'' when intransitive and ''avere'' when transitive.^(Wiktionary)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}