nonostante Italian · revision 38957

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=early 14th century, Zibaldone Andreini}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /no.nosˈtan.te/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''nonostante'''^(Wiktionary)

+ It is also written separately, ''non ostante'' (literary).^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Old forms include ''non istante'', ''nonnestante'' and ''non obstante''.^(GDLI|11, 543)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a compound [[af|it|non|ostante]], the phrase written as one word; the second part is the present participle of [[ostare|t=to stand in the way]], used in an absolute construction, “there being no obstacle”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Devoto 1968|297)^(Wiktionary) The verb is a learned loan of [[la|obstō|t=to stand against]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) Battaglia's dictionary (GDLI) traces the phrase to [[la-med|non obstante]] of legal language, an ablative absolute.^(GDLI|11, 543)

+

+ The same phrase is [[fr|nonobstant]], [[es|no obstante]] and [[pt|não obstante]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is the Zibaldone Andreini of the early 14th century, as a preposition and conjunction meaning “in spite of, although”;^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) Zingarelli dates it to 1308.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010) Matteo Villani uses it with a noun: the people wait for the tyrant's fall ''non ostante le sopraddette cose'' “in spite of the things said above”.^(GDLI|11, 543)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Old Italian used ''nonostante'' with a noun as a preposition and with ''che'' as a conjunction of concession (''nonostante che'').^(GDLI|11, 543) The participle once agreed with a plural noun, as in ''non ostanti le difficoltà'', a use now out of date.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Zingarelli records obsolete ''nonostante a'' and ''nonostante di'', and Manzoni's adverbial ''non ostante'' “nevertheless”.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ Today it is a preposition (''nonostante la pioggia''), a conjunction with the subjunctive (''nonostante sia tardi''), and with ''ciò'' a connective, ''ciò nonostante'' or ''ciononostante'', “all the same”.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1308 – Zingarelli's date for ''nonostante''.^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ * Early 14th century – The Zibaldone Andreini has it.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 14th century – The verb ''ostare'' is recorded.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)

+ * Before 1363 – Matteo Villani uses ''non ostante'' with a noun.^(GDLI|11, 543)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Preposition===

+ # [[m|en|despite]], in spite of, [[m|en|notwithstanding]]: ''Nonostante il traffico, siamo arrivati in orario.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Nonostante tutto'': in spite of everything.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ===Conjunction===

+ # [[m|en|although]], even though (with the subjunctive, also ''nonostante che''): ''Nonostante fosse stanco, ha finito il lavoro.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''Ciò nonostante'', ''nonostante ciò'': all the same, nevertheless.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[ostare]]

+ * [[ciononostante]]

+ * [[malgrado]]

+ * [[fr|nonobstant]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}