sospettare Italian · revision 38409

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=13th century|origins=la speciō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /sos.petˈta.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''sospettare''' (first-person singular present sospètto, first-person singular past historic sospettài, past participle sospettàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include ''sospetare'', ''suspettare'' and dialect ''sospezare'', and an old past participle ''sospetto''.^(GDLI|19, 527) Tommaseo also lists the archaic ''sospecciare'', ''sospicciare'' and ''sospicare''.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|suspectō|t=to look up at; to suspect]], an intensive of [[m|la|suspiciō|t=to look up at; to look at with distrust]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) Nocentini adds that it may also be the intensive of [[m|la|suspicor|t=to suspect]].^(Nocentini 2010) The base verb is a compound of [[m|la|sub-|t=under]] and [[m|la|speciō|t=to look]], which DELI traces to an Indo-European root for looking long and fixedly;^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto 1968|416) Devoto notes the regular change of its vowel to ⟨i⟩ in an open inner syllable.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto 1968|416) The Latin verb first meant “to look up from below”, then “to look at with suspicion”.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ DEI calls it panromance: [[sc|suspettare]], [[oc|sospechar]], [[ca|sospitar]], [[es|sospechar]] and [[pt|suspeitar]].^(DEI|3562)^(REW 1935)^(Nocentini 2010) In French, [[m|fr|suspecter]] is learned, and Old French continued the classical [[la|suspicor|alt=suspicārī]] instead.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|3562) The old Italian variant “sospecciare” was taken from the Occitan verb.^(Nocentini 2010) The Romance verb also gave nouns: [[es|sospecha]] and [[pt|suspeita]].^(REW 1935)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ GRADIT, Devoto–Oli and Nocentini date the verb to the 13th century.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Nocentini 2010) The GDLI's earliest quotation is the Genoese form ''sospezao'' “suspected” in the Anonimo Genovese: ''d'aver faito un gran peccao'' (of having committed a great sin).^(GDLI|19, 527) DELI's first record of the sense “to believe someone guilty on the strength of clues” is Boccaccio in 1353.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the ''Decameron'' Boccaccio uses the verb both absolutely and with ''di'': ''ciascuno sospettando dell'altro'' (each suspecting the other).^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Dante has the variant ''sospicciare'' in the ''Inferno'' and ''Purgatorio''.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The weaker sense “to think, imagine, suppose” appears as ''sospectare'' in Savonarola before 1460 and as ''sospettare'' in Torquato Tasso in 1573.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The noun ''sospetto'' “suspicion” is in Dante, before 1321, and ''sospettoso'' “suspicious” in Brunetto Latini, before 1294;^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) ''sospettabile'' entered the dictionaries in 1873 and ''insospettabile'' is from the 16th century.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Today the verb is used transitively for suspecting someone of a crime or suspecting a trick, and intransitively with ''di'' for distrust.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – The verb is first recorded.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1294 – Brunetto Latini uses ''sospettoso''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses the noun ''sospetto''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1353 – Boccaccio uses ''sospettare'' “to believe someone guilty”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1460 – Savonarola uses ''sospectare'' “to suppose”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1573 – Torquato Tasso uses ''sospettare'' “to imagine”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1873 – ''Sospettabile'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|suspect]] someone, to believe them guilty on the strength of clues: ''Gli inquirenti sospettano il socio di frode.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To suspect that something is hidden or the case, especially something harmful: ''Il medico sospetta un'infezione.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|imagine]], suppose: ''Non sospettavo che fosse così timido.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive, with di)'' To suspect someone: ''Tutti sospettano del giardiniere.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive, with di)'' To [[m|en|distrust]], to fear a deception: ''È un tipo che sospetta di chiunque.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[sospetto]]

+ * [[sospettoso]]

+ * [[sospettabile]]

+ * [[insospettabile]]

+ * [[sospettato]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[specchio]]

+ * [[la|suspectō]]

+ * [[fr|suspecter]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}