volontà Italian · revision 39097

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=1294|origins=ine-pro *welh₁-}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /vo.lonˈta/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''volontà''' ''f'' (invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old and literary forms include [[roa-oit|volontade]], [[roa-oit|volontate]], [[roa-oit|voluntà]], [[roa-oit|voluntade]] and [[roa-oit|voluntate]], and an old plural ''voluntati''.^(GDLI|21, 995)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) Jacopone da Todi has ''voluntà'' in the 13th century and the ''Libro di dicerie'' ''volontade'' in the 14th.^(DEI|4084)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la|voluntās|t=will, wish; good will]], from the accusative [[m|la|voluntās|alt=voluntātem]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) DEI counts it among the words found across the Romance languages, though not in Romanian, while Nocentini classes it as a borrowing from Latin.^(DEI|4084)^(Nocentini 2010) The short form [[m|roa-oit|voluntà]] lost the final syllable of [[m|roa-oit|voluntade]], as other nouns in ⟨-tà⟩ did.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ The same word is [[fr|volonté]] (Old French [[m|fro|volenté]], 12th century), [[pro|volentat]], [[ca|volentat]], [[es|voluntad]] and [[pt|vontade]], and it passed into [[eu|borontate]].^(REW 1935)^(DEI|4084)^(Nocentini 2010)

+

+ The Latin noun was formed from the old stem of the present participle of [[m|la|volō|t=to want]], seen in [[m|la|volēns|t=willing]], with the suffix [[m|la|-tās]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Wiktionary)^(Devoto 1968) The verb goes back to [[ine-pro|*welh₁-|t=to strive after, choose]], also the source of [[sa|वृणीते|tr=vṛṇīté|t=chooses]] and [[cu|велѣти|tr=velěti|t=to command]].^(de Vaan 2008)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ GRADIT dates the word to 1294, and Nocentini and Devoto–Oli to the 13th century.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) DELI's first dated sense is “the faculty of willing, the capacity to decide on and begin an action”, recorded in Dante, who died in 1321.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The other main senses followed in the 14th century: “an act of will” in Domenico Cavalca (before 1342) and “what someone wants” in Boccaccio's ''Decameron'' (1348–1353).^(DELI 1999) Dante already writes of a person's last will in the singular in the ''Convivio'' (1304–1308), while the plural ''ultime volontà'' for the dispositions of a testament is first recorded in Sforza Pallavicino (1656–1657).^(DELI 1999) The sense “good or bad disposition to do something” appears in Francesco Guicciardini, before 1540, and survives in ''buona volontà'' and ''cattiva volontà''.^(DELI 1999)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ In the ''Paradiso'' Piccarda says of God: “E 'n la sua volontade è nostra pace” (“and in his will is our peace”).^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026) An old sense “passion, lust” is now obsolete.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) Modern philosophy and politics added ''volontà di potenza'', rendering Nietzsche's “will to power”, and ''volontà politica'', the concrete readiness to carry out a programme.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1294 – First record of the word, according to GRADIT.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 13th century – Jacopone da Todi writes ''voluntà''.^(DEI|4084)

+ * 1304–1308 – Dante uses the word for a last will in the ''Convivio''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses it for the faculty of willing.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1342 – Domenico Cavalca uses it for an act of will.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1348–1353 – Boccaccio uses it for what someone wants.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1540 – Guicciardini uses it for a disposition to do something.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1656–1657 – The plural ''ultime volontà'' is used of a testament.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|will]], [[m|en|willpower]]: the capacity to decide freely and to direct one's actions towards an aim: ''Le manca la volontà di finire gli studi.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # An act of will; what someone wants or decides: ''Ha lasciato la ditta di sua spontanea volontà.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # The collective readiness of a people or group to follow a course of action: ''la volontà popolare''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(in the plural)'' ''ultime volontà'': the dispositions of a [[m|en|testament]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Willingness, commitment to a task: ''Lavora con molta volontà.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+ # ''(obsolete)'' Passion, [[m|en|lust]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[volontario]]

+ * [[volontariato]]

+ * [[volontarietà]]

+ * [[volontarismo]]

+ * [[volontaristico]]

+ * [[involontario]]

+ * [[volenteroso]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[volere]]

+ * [[volentieri]]

+ * [[la|voluntās]]

+ * [[fr|volonté]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Common phrases are ''a volontà'' (“as much as one likes”), ''buona volontà'' (“goodwill, commitment”), ''forza di volontà'' (“willpower”) and ''di spontanea volontà'' (“of one's own free will”).^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) The word does not change in the plural.^(Wiktionary)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}