neppure Italian · revision 39249

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=before 1313}}

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+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /nepˈpu.re/^(Wiktionary)

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+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[af|it|né|pure]]: the phrase was written separately at first and as one word from the 18th century.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) The doubled consonant comes from the lengthening that the negative causes in the following word (raddoppiamento fonosintattico).^(GDLI|11, 361) Devoto sees a crossing with [[eppure]].^(Devoto 1968)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first record of ''né pure'' is in Dante, before 1321.^(DELI 1999) Tommaseo quotes the line of the ''Purgatorio'' (canto 26) “nor is your answer needed by me alone” (''Nè pure a me la tua risposta è uopo''), where the words mean “not only”, and should therefore be written apart.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

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+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The one-word spelling ''neppure'' is first found in Antonio Cocchi, before 1758.^(DELI 1999) In 1848 Ugolini observed that many modern writers used ''neppure'' and ''nemmeno'', although the Crusca recorded only ''né pure'' and ''né meno''.^(DELI 1999) Tommaseo thought ''neppure'' sounded better than ''nemmeno'' before a verb.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

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+ The adverb strengthens a negation or excludes one more term, in the same way as [[neanche]] and [[nemmeno]].^(GDLI)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) In colloquial speech it is also used as a conjunction meaning “as if”, followed by the subjunctive.^(GRADIT 2003)

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+ ==Timeline==

+ * Before 1313 – GRADIT's and Zingarelli's date for the word.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ * Before 1321 – Dante uses ''né pure''.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1758 – Antonio Cocchi writes ''neppure'' as one word.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1848 – Ugolini notes that the Crusca does not record the joined spelling.^(DELI 1999)

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+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|not even]], [[m|en|neither]]: the same as ''neanche'' and ''nemmeno'': ''Non mi ha neppure guardato.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Wiktionary)

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+ ===Conjunction===

+ # ''(colloquial)'' As if, followed by the subjunctive: ''Mi ha risposto male, neppure gli avessi chiesto chissà cosa.''^(GRADIT 2003)

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[neanche]]

+ * [[nemmeno]]

+ * [[né]]

+ * [[pure]]

+ * [[eppure]]

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+ ==Usage notes==

+ Fixed phrases include ''neppure per sogno'', ''neppure per idea'' and ''neppure per scherzo'', all meaning “not at all”.^(GRADIT 2003) The separate spelling ''né pure'' is literary.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}