votare Italian · revision 38929

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited, semantic loan|attested=14th century|origins=ine-pro *h₁wegʷʰ-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /voˈta.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''votare''' (first-person singular present vóto, first-person singular past historic votài, past participle votàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+ The old form [[roa-oit|botare]] is also recorded.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*vōtō|alt=*vōtāre|t=to offer in a vow, to consecrate]], a verb formed from [[la|vōtum|t=vow]], the past participle of [[m|la|voveō|t=to vow, to promise]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(GDLI)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Nocentini counts it among the Romance formations of Latin origin, and Sabatini–Coletti and Gabrielli call it an intensive of the Latin verb.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020) The same verb is [[fr|vouer]], [[pro|vodar]], [[rm|vuder]] and [[fur|vodâ]];^(Nocentini 2010)^(REW 1935) Wiktionary compares [[es|votar]] and [[pt|votar]].^(Wiktionary) The Old Italian spellings with initial v or b reflect the difficulty of writing the bilabial fricative into which the semivowel of Latin had turned.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

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+ The political sense “to cast a vote” is, according to Nocentini and Devoto–Oli, an 18th-century calque of [[fr|voter]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) DEI already finds it in Bembo in the 16th century, and notes that the French verb (1727) was itself borrowed from [[en|vote]] (1552), a verb formed from the noun.^(DEI|4092)

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+ The Latin verb [[m|la|voveō]] goes back to [[itc-pro|*wowejō]] and the causative [[ine-pro|*h₁wogʷʰ-éye-|t=to promise]], from the root [[m|ine-pro|*h₁wegʷʰ-]]; its cognates include [[grc|εὔχομαι|tr=eúkhomai|t=to pray, to vow]].^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ GRADIT and Nocentini date the verb to the 14th century, in the religious sense “to offer as a vow, to consecrate”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010) Boccaccio writes ''a Diana votai etterna virginità'', “to Diana I vowed eternal virginity”.^(GDLI)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Bonvesin da la Riva had already used the Milanese form in ''vodhan castità'', “they vow chastity”.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From the vow to a god the verb widened to “dedicate entirely”, as in Tasso's ''Macon, s'io vinco, i' voto l'arme al Tempio'' (“Mahomet, if I win, I vow the arms to the temple”).^(GDLI)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) The pronominal ''votarsi'' means to bind oneself by a vow, or to give oneself up to a cause, and ''non sapere a che santo votarsi'' is said of someone who does not know where to turn for help.^(Treccani 2011)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ The sense “to give one's vote” is recorded in Tommaseo's dictionary in a report on Florentine elections,^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) and the derivative ''votazione'' “ballot, vote” appears in 1802.^(Nocentini 2010) Today the electoral senses are by far the most common: to take part in a vote, to put a measure to the vote, to pass it, and to vote for a candidate or party.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 14th century – ''Votare'' is recorded in the sense “to vow, to consecrate”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * 16th century – DEI finds the sense “to vote” in Bembo.^(DEI|4092)

+ * 1727 – French ''voter'' is recorded.^(DEI|4092)

+ * 18th century – The electoral sense spreads as a calque of French.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ * 1802 – ''Votazione'' is recorded.^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(intransitive)'' To [[m|en|vote]], to take part in a vote or election: ''Domenica tutta la famiglia è andata a votare.'' ''Votare per'' a party or candidate, ''votare a favore'' or ''contro''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To put to the vote: ''Il consiglio comunale voterà il bilancio domani.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To pass, approve by vote: ''La riforma è stata votata a larga maggioranza.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To vote for, support with one's vote: ''Ha votato il candidato dei verdi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(religion)'' To offer as a [[m|en|vow]], to consecrate to a god or saint.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To devote, dedicate entirely: ''Ha votato gli anni migliori all'insegnamento.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # ''votarsi'': to bind oneself by a vow; to devote oneself to something.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[votante]]

+ * [[votazione]]

+ * [[rivotare]]

+ * [[votatore]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[voto]]

+ * [[devoto]]

+ * [[la|voveo]]

+ * [[fr|vouer]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Votare'' takes the auxiliary ''avere''.^(Wiktionary)^(Treccani 2011) GRADIT and Wiktionary also record a ''votare'' that is a colloquial and Tuscan form of [[vuotare]] “to empty”;^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) GDLI explains it as a verb formed from ''vuoto'' “empty”, without the diphthong in unstressed syllables, and Meyer-Lübke places it under Latin ''*vocitus'' “empty”.^(GDLI)^(REW 1935)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}