contattare Italian · revision 38923

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation, calque|attested=1959, Enciclopedia della civiltà atomica|origins=la tangō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /kon.tatˈta.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''contattare''' (first-person singular present contàtto, first-person singular past historic contattài, past participle contattàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|it|contatto|-are]], on the model of [[en|contact|alt=to contact]], an English verb recorded from 1834.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(GDLI)^(Wiktionary) DELI treats it simply as the English verb taken over, and Sabatini–Coletti call it a calque of it.^(DELI 1999)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Zingarelli instead derives it from [[fr|contacter]], at first only a spoken word.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ The noun [[contatto]] is a learned borrowing of [[la|contāctus]], from the past participle of [[m|la|contingō|t=to touch]], itself from [[m|la|tangō|t=to touch]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ GRADIT's first record is the ''Enciclopedia della civiltà atomica'' of A. and G. Menarini, 1959, in the sense “to get in touch with someone”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) DELI and Nocentini date it from Migliorini's 1963 appendix to Panzini's dictionary, which explains it as calling someone by telephone, radio or other means.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Devoto–Oli note that it is used especially in business and politics, for approaching a client or an organization.^(Devoto–Oli 2026) Primo Levi has his character Faussone say that he “contacted” someone, which only means that he telephoned, but sounds more elegant.^(GDLI) In Calvino's ''Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore'' it is used of the first person a secret agent has been ordered to meet.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1834 – English ''to contact'' is recorded.^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI)

+ * 1959 – ''Contattare'' appears in the ''Enciclopedia della civiltà atomica''.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1963 – Migliorini records it in his appendix to Panzini's dictionary.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|contact]], to get in touch with someone, in person, by telephone or in writing: ''Per informazioni potete contattare l'ufficio del sindaco.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ricontattare]]

+ * [[contattabile]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[contatto]]

+ * [[en|contact]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}