migliorare Italian · revision 38912

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo laurenziano|origins=la melior}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /miʎ.ʎoˈra.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''migliorare''' (first-person singular present miglióro, first-person singular past historic migliorài, past participle miglioràto, auxiliary (transitive or sometimes intransitive) avére or (normally when intransitive) èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include [[roa-oit|melliorare]], [[roa-oit|megliorare]] and [[roa-oit|megliurare]].^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) Popular Tuscan still has ''megliorare'' with the present ''mèglioro''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-lat|meliōrō|alt=meliōrāre]], formed from [[la|melior|t=better]] and first recorded in the jurist Ulpian (before 228 AD).^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)^(GDLI) The same verb is [[pro|melhurar]], [[ca|millorar]] and Logudorese [[m|sc|medzorare]], while [[es|medrar]] and [[pt|medrar]] took the sense “to thrive”.^(REW 1935) The Latin adjective serves as the comparative of [[m|la|bonus|t=good]], but probably first meant “bigger” or “stronger”;^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Nocentini connects it with [[m|la|multus|t=much]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) De Vaan reconstructs [[ine-pro|*mel-iōs]] but calls the etymology weak.^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ From the same Late Latin verb came the derivatives [[miglioramento]], [[migliorativo]] and [[miglioria]].^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is in the ''Ritmo laurenziano'' at the end of the 12th century, with the intransitive ''melliorare'' “to become better”.^(DELI 1999) The transitive “to make better” follows in Bono Giamboni (before 1292) and in Brunetto Latini, who writes ''melliolare''.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Guittone d'Arezzo (before 1294) used the verb for gaining an advantage or getting better in health.^(DELI 1999) An old sense “to earn, gain” appears in Boccaccio: ''perché non ci miglioriam noi questi tre soldi?'' (“why don't we earn ourselves these three soldi?”).^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ In the modern language the verb is both transitive and intransitive: one improves a road, a law or oneself, and a patient, a pupil, a situation or the weather improves.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011) In farming it means enriching soil with fertilizer, and in animal breeding improving a breed by crossing.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – The ''Ritmo laurenziano'' has ''melliorare'' “to become better”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses ''migliorare'' “to make better”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses ''megliorare'' “to get better in health”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses the intransitive ''migliorare''.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|improve]], make better, [[m|en|perfect]]: ''Vogliono migliorare i collegamenti con l'aeroporto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' Of a person, to become better morally or in character.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To make progress in a skill or subject: ''È migliorato molto in inglese.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To [[m|en|recover]], get better in health: ''Il nonno sta migliorando.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(intransitive)'' Of a situation, to take a turn for the better; of the weather, to clear up.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(archaic)'' To earn, gain.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[miglioramento]]

+ * [[migliorativo]]

+ * [[migliorabile]]

+ * [[miglioranza]]

+ * [[miglioratore]]

+ * [[migliorazione]]

+ * [[rimigliorare]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[meglio]]

+ * [[migliore]]

+ * [[peggiorare]]

+ * [[la|melior]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In the intransitive senses the auxiliary is usually ''essere'';^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary) ''avere'' is less common and used only of persons.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary) The reflexive ''migliorarsi'' means “to improve oneself”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011) The opposite is ''peggiorare''.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}