avvicinare Italian · revision 38379

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=13th century, northern anonymous poems|origins=la vīcus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /av.vi.t͡ʃiˈna.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''avvicinare''' (first-person singular present avvicìno, first-person singular past historic avvicinài, past participle avvicinàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a parasynthetic verb, formed [[af|it|a-|vicino|-are|t2=near]] with the prefix strengthening the sense.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) DEI sets it in a Western Romance group with [[fr|avoisiner]], [[es|avecinar]] and [[pt|avezinhar]], which may go back to [[la-vul|*advīcīnō|alt=*advīcīnāre]]; the GDLI takes the same view.^(DEI|383)^(GDLI|1, 899)

+

+ [[vicino|alt=Vicino]] continues [[la|vicinus|alt=vīcīnus|t=neighbouring]], from [[m|la|vicus|alt=vīcus|t=village, street, quarter]] and the suffix [[m|la|-īnus]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in anonymous northern poems of the 13th century, for coming nearer to something in space.^(TLIO) GRADIT and DEI date the verb to Dante (1313–1319), and DELI gives Dante (before 1321) for “to be near” and Petrarch (before 1374) for the reflexive “to draw near”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DEI|383)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old Italian already used it of time drawing near, of gathering in a group, of armies closing for battle, and figuratively of moral and spiritual progress towards God or virtue, or of one thing coming close to another in quality.^(TLIO) The transitive sense “to put one thing nearer another” is recorded in Torquato Tasso in 1573, and “to approach a person in order to speak to them” in the Milanese press in 1815.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Today the verb also means to bring people closer to each other or to a cause, as when an illness brings someone to faith.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) In Mafia slang ''avvicinare'' a magistrate or policeman is to intimidate them into looking the other way.^(Treccani 2011) The noun ''avvicinamento'' goes back to Galileo (1637).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – Anonymous northern poems contain the first record.^(TLIO)

+ * 1313–1319 – Dante uses the verb.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * Before 1374 – Petrarch uses the reflexive “to draw near”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1573 – Torquato Tasso uses it for moving one thing nearer another.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1637 – Galileo uses ''avvicinamento''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1815 – It is used for approaching a person to talk, in the Milanese press.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1961 – ''Avvicinabile'' is recorded in Battaglia's dictionary.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To put something near or nearer to something else; to [[m|en|bring]] closer: ''Avvicina la lampada al libro.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To go up to a person in order to speak to them; to [[m|en|approach]]: ''Un turista mi ha avvicinato per chiedere la strada.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To get to know someone, enter into relations with them: ''un dirigente difficile da avvicinare''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(transitive, figurative)'' To bring people closer together, or someone closer to an interest or belief: ''Il viaggio li ha avvicinati alla musica africana.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(transitive, figurative)'' To bring forward a date or deadline.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(pronominal, avvicinarsi)'' To come or go nearer; of time, to [[m|en|draw near]]: ''Si avvicina l'autunno.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(pronominal, figurative)'' To resemble, come close to: ''La copia si avvicina molto al quadro originale.''^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[avvicinamento]]

+ * [[avvicinabile]]

+ * [[ravvicinare]]

+ * [[riavvicinare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[vicino]]

+ * [[vicinanza]]

+ * [[accostare]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}