maledetto Italian · revision 38382

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1300–1313, Dante|origins=la maledīcō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ma.leˈdet.to/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''maledetto''' (feminine maledetta, masculine plural maledetti, feminine plural maledette, superlative maledettissimo, adverb maledettamente)^(Wiktionary)

+ Older and Tuscan forms are [[roa-oit|maladetto]] and [[roa-oit|malidetto]].^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(GDLI|9, 526)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is the past participle of [[maledire|t=to curse]], used as an adjective and a noun, and continues [[inh|la|maledictus|t=cursed]], the participle of [[m|la|maledīcō|t=to speak ill of; to curse]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|2328)^(Devoto 1968|268)^(Wiktionary) The Latin verb is a compound of [[m|la|male|t=badly]] and [[m|la|dīcō|t=to say]], and its sense “to curse” belongs to the language of the Church.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary) DEI calls the participle panromance in the West and notes that it passed into [[sga|maldacht]] and [[xbm|milliget]]; from the Latin feminine came [[es|maleta|t=illness]] and [[pt|maleita|t=fever]].^(DEI|2328)

+

+ It is the opposite of [[benedetto]].^(DEI|2328)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is Dante's ''Commedia'' (1300–1313), in the form ''maladetto'', for something that brings a curse or misfortune;^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|9, 526) Virgil silences Plutus with “Taci, maladetto lupo!” (“Be silent, cursed wolf!”).^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|9, 526) The noun, a person to be cursed, follows in the ''Inferno'' and ''Purgatorio'' period (1313–1319).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Boccaccio used the form ''maledetto'' in the ''Decameron'' (1348–1353), and also the weakened sense “unbearable, very annoying”.^(DELI 1999) In the language of religion the word describes the damned and the fallen angels.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ The intensifying use, as in ''una fame maledetta'' “a terrible hunger”, and the sense “horrible” in ''tempo maledetto'' are recorded in the Tuscan proverbs of 1853.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Poeta maledetto'' renders the French ''poète maudit'' of the decadents; in Italian it is recorded in Ardengo Soffici in 1913, and it was later extended to any artist whose life breaks with social rules.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses ''maladetto'' “cursed”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1313–1319 – Dante uses it as a noun for a damned person.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1348–1353 – Boccaccio writes ''maledetto'', also in the sense “unbearable”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1484 – Luigi Pulci uses ''maledetto'' for “annoying”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1853 – The sense “horrible” is recorded in the Tuscan proverbs.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1913 – Ardengo Soffici uses ''poeta maledetto''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # [[m|en|cursed]], struck by a divine curse; [[m|en|damned]]: ''un castello maledetto''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Bringing misfortune and ruin: ''Quella estate maledetta non finiva più.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Hateful, annoying, used as a curse word: ''Dove ho messo quelle maledette chiavi?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Terrible, very strong: ''Dopo la corsa avevo una fame maledetta.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(literature)'' ''Poeti maledetti'': the French decadent poets at odds with the society of their time; by extension, rebellious artists.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person under a curse, ''(literary, plural)'' the damned.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # A person one hates or curses: ''Se ne è andato, quel maledetto!''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[maledettamente]]

+ * [[maledettismo]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[maledire]]

+ * [[maledizione]]

+ * [[benedetto]]

+ * [[la|maledictus]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In exclamations ''maledetto'' is often used with the verb left out: ''maledetto il giorno che…'' (“cursed be the day that…”).^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}