ritrovare Italian · revision 39122

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

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /ri.troˈva.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''ritrovare''' (first-person singular present ritròvo, first-person singular past historic ritrovài, past participle ritrovàto, auxiliary avére)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed [[af|it|ri-|trovare]], with the prefix of repetition.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Nocentini notes that the prefix gives both “to find something one had lost” and “to find something new after a search”, and that [[fr|retrouver]] is a parallel formation of its own, not the model of the Italian word.^(Nocentini 2010) Older forms were [[roa-oit|retrovare]] and [[roa-oit|ritruovare]].^(GDLI|16, 996)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record is in Bono Giamboni's ''Della miseria dell'uomo'', before 1292, with the sense “to find again a lost thing, or a person not seen for a long time”.^(DELI 1999) Devoto–Oli and Sabatini–Coletti date the verb to the 13th century.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The reflexive use appeared early: “to come to be in a situation unexpectedly” in Dante (1300–1313), the opening of the ''Commedia'' (''mi ritrovai per una selva oscura'', “I found myself in a dark wood”), and “to be together again” in Francesco da Barberino, before 1348.^(DELI 1999)^(Treccani 2011) The sense “to find again” is recorded in Vasari (1550), “to discover after a laborious search” in Francesco Lana (1670), and “to get one's bearings” in Giovan Battista Fagiuoli, before 1742.^(DELI 1999) The reciprocal “to meet again” is first recorded by Palazzi (1939–1940).^(DELI 1999)

+

+ Derivatives have their own histories: ''ritrovatore'' “finder” (1303–1306, Giordano da Pisa), ''ritrovamento'' “finding” (1505, Bembo), ''ritrovato'' as a noun “invention, discovery” (1589, Bernardino Baldi) and later “expedient” (before 1786, Gasparo Gozzi), and ''ritrovo'' “gathering for pleasure” (1539, Alessandro Piccolomini) and “meeting place” (1574, Granucci).^(DELI 1999) In modern colloquial use ''ritrovarsi'' can mean “to find oneself having”, often of something unwelcome.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1292 – Bono Giamboni uses ''ritrovare'' for finding a lost thing again.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1300–1313 – Dante uses the reflexive “to find oneself (somewhere)”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1303–1306 – ''Ritrovatore'' appears in Giordano da Pisa.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1505 – Bembo uses ''ritrovamento''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1539 – ''Ritrovo'' is first recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1589 – ''Ritrovato'' is used as a noun for a discovery.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1939–1940 – Palazzi records ''ritrovarsi'' “to meet again”.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To find again; to meet again, in the same place: ''Ogni mattina ritrovo sul treno gli stessi pendolari.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To [[m|en|recover]] something one had lost, or to track down a person one had lost touch with: ''Ho ritrovato gli occhiali sotto il divano.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # To find or [[m|en|discover]] after research or an investigation.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(figurative)'' To [[m|en|regain]] a state of body or mind: ''ritrovare la calma, le forze''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # To [[m|en|recognise]] one thing or person in another: ''In questa bambina ritrovo sua nonna.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # To find something or someone in a different state from the one expected.^(GRADIT 2003)

+ # ''(reflexive)'' To find oneself, often unexpectedly, in a place or situation; to meet again (reciprocal); to get one's bearings.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(reflexive, colloquial)'' To find oneself having something: ''Con il raffreddore che si ritrova, non può uscire.''^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[ritrovamento]]

+ * [[ritrovato]]

+ * [[ritrovatore]]

+ * [[ritrovo]]

+ * [[ritrovabile]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[trovare]]

+ * [[fr|retrouver]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}