buonasera Italian · revision 38925

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=1330–1384, insults recorded at Lucca}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ˌbwɔ.naˈse.ra/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''buonasera''' (interjection; feminine invariable noun)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ It is also written as ''buona sera'', and less often ''bonasera''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011) Old Italian has ''bona sera'' and ''buona sera''.^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound [[af|it|buona|sera|t1=good|t2=evening]], the feminine of [[buono]] with [[sera]], first a greeting phrase and later written as a single word.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(TLIO) It is formed like [[buongiorno]] and [[buonanotte]], and like [[fr|bonsoir]] and [[ro|bună seara]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in a collection of insults recorded at Lucca between 1330 and 1384, as a greeting or wish used when people met or parted in the evening.^(TLIO) Zingarelli dates it to 1365 and GRADIT to before 1400.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Bibbiena's comedy a character wonders how to greet someone: not “good day”, since it is no longer morning, and not “good evening”, since it is not late yet.^(GDLI) DELI records the noun, “the greeting itself”, in Aretino in 1536 and in Giovan Maria Cecchi in 1556, where it is masculine at first and later feminine.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ In current Italian it is said from the afternoon on, both on meeting and on leaving.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) Colloquially it also expresses disappointment or disbelief, or marks something that ends abruptly.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) The ''signorina buonasera'' was the television announcer who presented the evening's programmes.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1330–1384 – ''Bona sera'' appears in insults recorded at Lucca.^(TLIO)

+ * 1365 – Zingarelli's date for the first record.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ * 1536 – Aretino uses the greeting as a noun, in the masculine.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1556 – Giovan Maria Cecchi uses the noun.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Interjection===

+ # [[m|en|good evening]]; a greeting used from the afternoon on, when meeting or parting: ''Buonasera, signora, come sta?''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(regional)'' [[m|en|good afternoon]].^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(colloquial)'' Expresses disbelief or disappointment, or that something is over and done with: ''«Domani mi alzo alle sei.» «Sì, buonasera!»''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(feminine, invariable)'' The evening greeting itself: ''Mi ha dato la buonasera e se n'è andato.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[buongiorno]]

+ * [[buonanotte]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ In speech the greeting is often shortened to ''sera''.^(GRADIT 2003) The phrase ''dare la buonasera'' is the usual way of saying “to wish someone good evening”.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}