capitare Italian · revision 38741

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=13th century, Novellino|origins=la caput}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ka.piˈta.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''capitare''' (first-person singular present càpito, first-person singular past historic capitài, past participle capitàto, auxiliary èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*capitō|alt=*capitāre|t=to come to a head, to end up]], a verb not recorded in classical Latin, formed on [[la|caput|t=head]] (genitive “capitis”).^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The sense would have moved from “to come to an end, to end up somewhere” to “to arrive by chance”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) DEI finds the verb in the Codex Cavensis of 980 and compares [[ro|căpăta|t=to obtain]].^(DEI|735)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ DEI, GDLI and Meyer-Lübke explained the verb instead as an iterative of [[la|capiō|t=to take]]: the REW puts the Romanian verb, [[scn|capitari|t=to take away secretly]] and [[sc|kabidare|t=to gather]] under the same Vulgar Latin verb, which it glosses “to take”, and finds a link with “caput” unlikely in meaning.^(DEI|735)^(GDLI)^(REW 1935) Prati, DELI and Nocentini prefer “caput”.^(Prati 1951|230)^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ Latin “caput” continues [[itc-pro|*kaput]] and is related to [[got|𐌷𐌰𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌸|tr=haubiþ|t=head]] and [[ang|hēafod]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary) De Vaan suggests it may come, like the Germanic words, from a substrate word for “cup”, related to “capiō”.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is the ''Novellino'' (13th century), in the sense “to arrive somewhere by chance”;^(DELI 1999) Zingarelli dates the word to 1287, and the TLIO's first example is in Bono Giamboni's ''Libro de' Vizi e delle Virtudi'' (before 1292).^(Zingarelli 2010)^(TLIO)^(Nocentini 2010) In Old Italian it also meant “to lead to, to flow into”, of roads and rivers, and, as a transitive verb, “to bring to an end”.^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Giordano da Pisa (1305–1306) used it for coming to a good or bad end, the sense of ''capitare bene'' and ''capitare male''.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO) Boccaccio has it for arriving at a place: Rinaldo d'Asti, robbed, ''capita a Castel Guglielmo''.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ The sense “to happen” is recent.^(DELI 1999) Magalotti (before 1712) still used it halfway between “to arrive” and “to happen”.^(DELI 1999) Manzoni wrote ''la doveva capitare a me!'' (“it had to happen to me!”) in the first draft of ''I promessi sposi'', but changed it in 1827 and replaced it with ''accadere'' in the final edition.^(DELI 1999) As late as 1884 the purist Arlía condemned ''non mi è mai capitato'' and wanted ''accadere'' or ''occorrere'' in its place.^(DELI 1999) Sabatini–Coletti date the sense “to happen” to the 18th century.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) French borrowed the verb as ''capiter'' in the 16th century.^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – The ''Novellino'' uses ''capitare'' for arriving by chance.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses it.^(TLIO)

+ * 1305–1306 – Giordano da Pisa uses it for coming to a good or bad end.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 16th century – French ''capiter'' is recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 16th century – ''Ricapitare'', later ''recapitare'' “to deliver”, is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1712 – Magalotti uses it in a sense close to “to happen”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1804 – ''Recapito'' is recorded in the sense “address for delivery”.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|turn up]], to arrive or find oneself somewhere by chance or unexpectedly: ''Siamo capitati a Genova proprio durante la regata.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(third person)'' To [[m|en|happen]], to occur (to someone): ''Che cosa ti è capitato?'' Impersonally with ''di'' or ''che'': ''Mi capita spesso di perdere l'autobus.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # Of a date or feast, to fall on a given day: ''Quest'anno il mio compleanno capita di sabato.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # To come one's way, to present itself: ''Gli è capitata un'occasione da non perdere.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To fall to someone's lot: ''Mi è capitato un compagno di stanza simpatico.''^(GRADIT 2003)

+ # ''(literary, rare)'' To lead to, to end up in.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[recapitare]]

+ * [[recapito]]

+ * [[malcapitato]]

+ * [[scapitare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[capo]]

+ * [[la|caput]]

+ * [[ro|căpăta]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Capitare'' takes the auxiliary ''essere''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) Set phrases include ''capitare a tiro'' “to come within reach”, ''capitare tra capo e collo'' “to come out of the blue”, ''come capita'' “any old way” and ''il primo che capita'' “the first person who comes along”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ GDLI has a second, obsolete transitive ''capitare'' “to tax by head”, from ''capitanza'' “poll tax”, recorded in Matteo Villani.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}