ricominciare Italian · revision 38935

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=before 1292, Bono Giamboni}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ri.ko.minˈt͡ʃa.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ricominciare''' (first-person singular present ricomìncio, first-person singular past historic ricominciài, past participle ricominciàto, auxiliary (transitive) avére or (intransitive) èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+ A variant is ''rincominciare''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026) GDLI records the old form ''ricuminciare''.^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|it|ri-|cominciare|t2=to begin]], with the prefix of repetition.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary) GDLI traces the prefix to Latin iterative [[m|la|re-]].^(GDLI) Tommaseo set beside it [[la|reincipiō]], recorded in a 5th-century inscription.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is Bono Giamboni's ''Libro de' vizî e delle virtudi'' (before 1292), with the sense “to begin afresh”;^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) Zingarelli dates the word to about 1261.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) The ''Novellino'' tells of a truce: ''Ruppesi la triegua e ricominciossi la guerra'' (“The truce was broken and the war started again”).^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Dante uses it several times for taking up a speech again, as in ''Ricominciar, come noi restammo, ei / l'antico verso'' (“when we stopped, they began again their old lament”).^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI) He also uses it for “to renew, to bring back”: ''Dolce color d'orïental zaffiro'' … ''a li occhi miei ricominciò diletto'' (“the sweet colour of oriental sapphire … renewed delight to my eyes”).^(GRADIT 2003)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ The intransitive use, “to start again”, is recorded by Tommaseo–Bellini in 1872, and with weather verbs the construction is impersonal, as in ''ricomincia a piovere''.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010) The exclamation ''si ricomincia!'' expresses annoyance at something tiresome starting all over again.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1261 – Zingarelli's date of first record.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses ''ricominciare'' for “to begin afresh”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses it for resuming a speech.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1872 – The intransitive use is recorded by Tommaseo–Bellini.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|begin again]], to [[m|en|resume]] after a pause: ''Dopo le vacanze ricominciamo il corso di nuoto.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(transitive, with a and the infinitive)'' To take up doing something again: ''Ha ricominciato a correre dopo l'infortunio.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(literary)'' To renew, bring about again.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive, auxiliary essere)'' To start again after an interruption: ''È ricominciata la stagione delle piogge.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ricominciamento]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[cominciare]]

+ * [[incominciare]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Ricominciare da capo'' (or, informally, ''da zero'') is to start again from the beginning.^(Treccani 2011)^(Zingarelli 2010) With an impersonal verb the auxiliary can be ''essere'' or ''avere'' (''è'' or ''ha ricominciato a piovere'').^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}