crescere Italian · revision 38358

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo laurenziano|origins=la crēscō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈkreʃ.ʃe.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''crescere''' (first-person singular present crésco, first-person singular past historic crébbi, past participle cresciùto, auxiliary (intransitive) èssere or (transitive) avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|crēscō|t=to grow, increase]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) DÉRom reconstructs a Proto-Romance verb that was both intransitive, “to grow”, and transitive, “to make larger”, since nearly every branch has the transitive use at least in the Middle Ages.^(DÉRom) Its outcomes are found in every Romance language: [[fr|croître]], [[oc|creiser]], [[ca|créixer]], [[es|crecer]], [[pt|crescer]], [[sc|crèschere]] and [[ro|crește]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935)^(DÉRom)

+

+ The Latin verb is a present in “-scō”, and DELI, Nocentini and Devoto connect it with [[la|creō|t=to create]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968) De Vaan reconstructs [[itc-pro|*krē-]] and [[ine-pro|*k(w)reh₁-|t=to become bigger, stronger]], with a cognate in Slavic verbs meaning “to heal”; he finds a link with the PIE root for “to feed” tempting but the ablaut difficult.^(de Vaan 2008) Wiktionary gives [[ine-pro|*ḱreh₁-]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is the Tuscan Ritmo laurenziano, from the late 12th century, where DELI finds the sense “to improve, to thrive”.^(TLIO)^(DELI 1999) GRADIT and Nocentini date the first record to the first half of the 12th century.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010) The sense “to grow up” appears early in the 13th century in the Ritmo su Sant'Alessio: ''poi lo fante foe crescutu'' (“then the child was grown”).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Italian the verb already covered growing living things, rising waters, swelling, waxing of the moon, spreading fame and growing feelings; it could also mean “to postpone”.^(TLIO) Transitive uses came early: “to bring up, raise” before 1250 in Giacomo da Lentini, and “to increase” before 1294 in Brunetto Latini.^(DELI 1999) Old texts have past forms such as ''cresse'' and ''crevve'' for ''crebbe''.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The infinitive served as a noun, as in Metastasio's line on judgment ripening ''al crescer dell'etade'', with age.^(GDLI)

+

+ Its derivatives include ''crescente'' (before 1292), later also the crescent moon (1892), ''crescenza'', a leavened flatbread before 1485 and a soft Lombard cheese, from Milanese ''carsenza'', in 1892, ''crescita'' (1765) and the musical ''crescendo'' (1825).^(DELI 1999) In knitting it means to add stitches, and in music to go sharp.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – The Ritmo laurenziano has the first record.^(TLIO)^(DELI 1999)

+ * Early 13th century – ''Crescutu'' “grown up” in the Ritmo su Sant'Alessio.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses it for “to bring up”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses it for “to increase”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1765 – ''Crescita'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1825 – ''Crescendo'' is recorded as a musical term.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To [[m|en|grow]]: of people, animals, plants and parts of the body, to become larger by natural growth: ''I capelli le crescono in fretta.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To grow up, become an adult: ''Devi crescere un po'.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To be raised, spend one's childhood: ''È cresciuta in un paesino di montagna.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive, figurative)'' To improve, mature, progress.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To [[m|en|increase]] in size, number, intensity or value: ''I prezzi della benzina crescono ogni mese.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(intransitive, colloquial)'' To be left over, be more than needed.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive, music)'' To sing or play sharp.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To bring up, [[m|en|raise]]: ''Li ha cresciuti da sola.''^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To increase; in knitting, to add stitches.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[crescendo]]

+ * [[crescente]]

+ * [[crescenza]]

+ * [[crescita]]

+ * [[ricrescita]]

+ * [[accrescere]]

+ * [[accrescimento]]

+ * [[accrescitivo]]

+ * [[decrescere]]

+ * [[decrescendo]]

+ * [[decrescente]]

+ * [[decremento]]

+ * [[ricrescere]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[crescimento]]

+ * [[screscere]]

+ * [[increscere]]

+ * [[rincrescere]]

+ * [[creare]]

+ * [[la|crēscō]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ The verb is irregular: ''cresco'', ''crebbi'', ''cresciuto''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) As an intransitive it takes ''essere''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}