presa Italian · revision 38470

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=12th–13th century|origins=la prehendō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈpre.za/, /ˈpre.sa/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''presa''' ''f'' (plural prese)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is the feminine of [[preso]], the past participle of [[prendere]], used as a noun.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Devoto traces the participle to [[la-lat|presus]], and the verb continues [[la|prehendō|t=to seize]].^(Devoto 1968)^(Nocentini 2010) Nocentini notes the abstract sense “act or manner of taking” and the concrete one “amount taken”, and sees [[fr|prise]] and [[es|presa|t=prey]] as parallel formations.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The sense “plot of land” goes back to [[la-med|prehensa]], a portion of land assigned to a settler for cultivation, recorded as ⟨presa⟩ at Bologna in 1250.^(Nocentini 2010)^(DEI|3067) In the agricultural sense “division of a field for different crops”, recorded in 1558, DEI sees an adaptation of the Lombard word for a strip of field.^(DEI|3067)

+

+ Two phrases are calques of French: the phrase for “taking possession” follows [[fr|prise de possession]] (about 1560), and the phrase for “awakening, coming to awareness” follows [[fr|prise de conscience]], which passed from psychology into politics and then into everyday language.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ GRADIT and Devoto–Oli date the word to the 12th–13th century.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) DEI has it for a portion of land at Bologna in 1262 and for a seizure of goods at Verona in 1276.^(DEI|3066) DELI's first record of the sense “act and manner of taking” is Francesco da Barberino in 1314.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 14th century the word meant the thing taken and, in military use, the capture of a town: Giovanni Villani tells of the sultan's ''presa'' of Antioch, and the capture of Otranto by the Turks is a ''presa'' in Bandello.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|14, 204)^(DEI|3066) It also meant imprisonment.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) From the 15th century it named a handle or anything used to grip, and the jaws of pincers.^(DEI|3066)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Technical senses multiplied later: the diversion of water from a main channel (before 1742), a pinch of cinnamon (1815) or of snuff (1841), the padded cloth for holding a hot iron or pot (1839–41, the Tuscan word beside many regional ones), the goalkeeper's catch in football (1958) and the electric socket (1970).^(DELI 1999) In music it named the sign that shows where the voices enter in a canon (1533); French had it from 1703 and English from 1724.^(DIFIT) The phrase ''macchina da presa'' is the film camera, and ''far presa'' is said of cement that sets, of a plant that takes root and, figuratively, of words that win people over.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Modern Greek took the word over as ''préza'', a pinch of snuff.^(DEI|3066)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1262 – A ''presa'' of land is recorded at Bologna.^(DEI|3066)

+ * 1276 – The word is used for a seizure at Verona.^(DEI|3066)

+ * 1314 – Francesco da Barberino uses it for the act of taking.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th century – Giovanni Villani uses it for the capture of a city.^(DEI|3066)^(GDLI|14, 204)

+ * 1533 – The musical sense in canons is recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * About 1560 – French ''prise de possession'' appears, the model of ''presa di possesso''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1677 – Daniello Bartoli uses it for anything that serves to grip.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1815 – ''Presa di cannella'', a pinch of cinnamon, is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1839–1841 – The kitchen pot-holder is called ''presa''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1958 – The goalkeeper's catch is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1970 – The electric socket is recorded in the Zingarelli dictionary.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The act of taking or gripping, a [[m|en|grip]] or [[m|en|hold]]: ''Non mollare la presa sulla corda.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(sports)'' A hold in wrestling or judo, and the goalkeeper's catch of the ball in football.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # The grip or jaws of a tool such as pincers.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # The setting or hardening of cement, plaster or glue: ''cemento a presa rapida''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # The [[m|en|capture]] of a town or stronghold: ''la presa di Roma''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # A [[m|en|pinch]], the amount taken between finger and thumb: ''una presa di pepe''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+ # A [[m|en|handle]] or hold, and a padded cloth for holding hot pans, usually ''presina''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # An intake for water, air or gas, and an electric [[m|en|socket]] (''presa di corrente'').^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(DELI 1999)

+ # ''(cinema)'' Shooting, filming, in ''macchina da presa'', the film camera.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[presina]]

+ * [[presella]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[prendere]]

+ * [[preso]]

+ * [[fr|prise]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Common phrases include ''essere alle prese con'' (to be grappling with a problem), ''far presa'' (to set, to take root, to make an impression), ''presa di posizione'' (stand, declared position), ''presa di coscienza'' (coming to awareness) and ''presa in giro'' (teasing, mockery).^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Treccani 2011) Wiktionary gives both /ˈpre.za/ and /ˈpre.sa/; the voiced ⟨s⟩ is the northern pronunciation.^(Wiktionary)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}