pulire Italian · revision 38775

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=13th century, Monte Andrea|origins=la poliō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /puˈli.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''pulire''' (first-person singular present pulìsco, first-person singular past historic pulìi, past participle pulìto, auxiliary avére or (in the archaic intransitive usage) èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|poliō|alt=polīre|t=to polish, to smooth]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Sabatini–Coletti call it the popular form beside the learned [[polire]].^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) The same verb is [[fr|polir]], [[oc|polir]], [[ca|polir]] and [[es|pulir]].^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The origin of the Latin verb is uncertain.^(de Vaan 2008) Joseph Vendryes held that it belonged to the trade of the fullers, who pressed and beat the cloth, and connected it with the Germanic word for felt, the source of [[feltro]];^(de Vaan 2008)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968) Nocentini and Devoto follow this view.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968) De Vaan also considers a derivation from [[ine-pro|*pelh₁-|t=to swing]], as in [[grc|πάλλω|tr=pállō|t=to swing, to shake]], or from an adjective meaning “flat”.^(de Vaan 2008) The old explanation as a verb drawn from the perfect of [[m|la|polinō|t=to smear]] was rejected by Walde–Hofmann and Ernout–Meillet.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Monte Andrea, in the 13th century, with the sense “to remove dirt”;^(DELI 1999) GRADIT and Nocentini date the verb to before 1292.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010) In Monte's line ''Sì come il ferro si pulisce a mena'' the iron is burnished, and GDLI files it under “to make smooth, to polish”.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old Italian used the verb for polishing in the crafts and, figuratively, for refining a piece of writing, as in Dante and Petrarch;^(DEI|3144)^(Prati 1951|811) Francesco da Barberino used it for “to flatter”.^(DEI|3144)^(Prati 1951|811) The participle ''polito'' meant “smooth” in Ristoro d'Arezzo (1282), and ''pulito'' “clean” is in Boccaccio (1353), “elegant” in Giovanni Villani and “honest, upright” in 1605.^(DELI 1999) ''Pulizia'', first “simple elegance”, is recorded in the 16th century.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The modern sense is above all “to clean”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Figurative phrases include ''pulire il piatto'', to eat every last crumb, and ''pulire il portafoglio'' or ''le tasche'' to someone, to take all their money.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Compounds name cleaning tools: ''pulisciorecchi'' (1887–1891) and ''puliscipenne'' (1907).^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 13th century – Monte Andrea uses ''pulire''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1282 – Ristoro d'Arezzo uses ''polito'' for “smooth”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1353 – Boccaccio uses ''pulito'' for “clean”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 16th century – ''Pulizia'' is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 1871 – ''Pulita'', a quick clean, is recorded by Tommaseo.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1887–1891 – ''Pulisciorecchi'' is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To [[m|en|clean]], free from dirt: ''Ogni sabato puliamo il garage.'' Used without an object, to do the housework.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To remove dirt or stains: ''Ha pulito il fango dagli stivali.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # To clear of what is useless or in the way: ''pulire il giardino dalle erbacce''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(figurative, colloquial)'' To clean someone out, strip them of their money: ''pulire il portafoglio a qualcuno''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(uncommon)'' To [[m|en|polish]], smooth: ''pulire una lastra di metallo''.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To refine, polish a piece of writing.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''pulirsi'': to clean oneself; to clean one's own hands, face and so on: ''pulirsi le scarpe sullo zerbino''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[pulito]]

+ * [[pulizia]]

+ * [[pulitura]]

+ * [[pulitore]]

+ * [[pulitrice]]

+ * [[pulita]]

+ * [[pulitezza]]

+ * [[pulimento]]

+ * [[ripulire]]

+ * [[pulisciorecchi]]

+ * [[puliscipiedi]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[polire]]

+ * [[politura]]

+ * [[la|polio]]

+ * [[fr|polir]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Pulire'' is conjugated with ''-isc-'': ''pulisco'', ''pulisci''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary) DEI and GDLI record an old ''pulire'' “to punish”, a form of [[punire]] with ''-l-'' by dissimilation, found in Giovanni Villani;^(DEI|3144)^(GDLI) the TLIO files it under ''punire''.^(TLIO)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}