spesa Italian · revision 38784

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1231–1262, Ricordi di una famiglia senese|origins=la pendō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˈspe.za/, /ˈspe.sa/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''spesa''' ''f'' (plural spese)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old northern forms include [[roa-oit|spexe]] (plural, Genoa), [[roa-oit|spexa]] (Bologna) and [[roa-oit|spisa]] (Milan).^(LEI|22, 720)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-lat|expēnsa|t=(money) spent]], short for a phrase with [[m|la|pecūnia|t=money]]: the feminine past participle of [[la|expendō|t=to weigh out, pay]], used as a noun.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GDLI) Classical Latin already used the noun for a sum of money.^(LEI|22, 720) The Italian form shows the popular development of ⟨ns⟩ to ⟨s⟩ and the loss of the initial vowel; such popular continuations are rare elsewhere in Romance, among them [[fur|spese]] and [[fro|espoise]].^(LEI|22, 720)^(Wiktionary) Compare also [[scn|spisa]], [[vec|spexa]] and [[pms|spèisa]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ In the language of monasteries the Latin word came to mean “provisions, food”, and in that sense it passed into [[goh|spīsa]], today [[de|Speise]].^(LEI|22, 720)^(DEI|3587) The LEI leaves open whether the Italian sense “food, provisions” was taken back from German or grew up the same way in Italy.^(LEI|22, 720)

+

+ The Latin verb is [[m|la|pendō|t=to weigh, pay]] with [[m|la|ex-]]; its sense developed from “to hang” to “to weigh out” and then “to pay”.^(DELI 1999)^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in the ''Ricordi di una famiglia senese'' (1231–1262), for buying, in particular the daily buying of food for a household.^(DELI 1999) The sense “expense, money spent” is in Giacomo da Lentini (before 1250), who mocks anyone who thinks he can spend “d'altrui borsa”, from another man's purse.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Northern texts have the word early: Bologna about 1243 and Chioggia in 1275, and Dante uses it for public or private expenditure in the ''Convivio'' (1304–1307).^(LEI|22, 720) The phrase ''alle spese di'' is in the ''Novellino'' and ''a spese di'' in Boccaccio, who also uses it for “to one's own cost”.^(DELI 1999) Later come ''spesare'', to keep someone at one's expense (1503), and ''stare sulle spese'', to live away from home at one's own cost (before 1742).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ In everyday modern Italian ''fare la spesa'' is to do the grocery shopping, and ''la spesa'' is also the shopping itself.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GRADIT 2003) Economics speaks of ''spesa pubblica'', public expenditure,^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) and a proverb says ''è più la spesa che l'impresa'', the effort is not worth the result.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) German borrowed the plural from Italian merchants as ''Spesen'', “expenses” (from 1423–1424).^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1231–1262 – ''Spesa'' “purchase” appears in the ''Ricordi di una famiglia senese''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1250 – Giacomo da Lentini uses it for “expense”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * c. 1243 – The form ''spesa'' is recorded at Bologna.^(LEI|22, 720)

+ * 1304–1307 – Dante uses it in the ''Convivio''.^(LEI|22, 720)

+ * 1353 – Boccaccio uses ''a spese di''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1423–1424 – German ''Spesen'' is first recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1503 – ''Spesare'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1742 – ''Stare sulle spese'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|expense]], [[m|en|expenditure]]; the money spent on something: ''La spesa per il viaggio è stata più alta del previsto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A purchase: ''Quella lavatrice è stata una spesa sensata.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # The [[m|en|shopping]] for food and household needs: ''Il sabato faccio la spesa al mercato.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # The [[m|en|groceries]] bought: ''Mi aiuti a portare su la spesa?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(plural)'' Costs, charges: ''Le spese di trasporto sono comprese.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(figurative)'' The use of time, effort or resources.^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[spesare]]

+ * [[spesato]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[spendere]]

+ * [[la|expensa]]

+ * [[de|Speise]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Fixed phrases include ''a spese di'', at someone's expense (also figuratively, to someone's cost), ''fare le spese di'', to pay for something in the sense of suffering its consequences, and ''non badare a spese'', to spare no expense.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}