divertimento Italian · revision 39253

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1525, Pietro Bembo|origins=la vertō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /di.ver.tiˈmen.to/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''divertimento''' ''m'' (plural divertimenti)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed in Italian, [[af|it|divertire|-mento]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Wiktionary) The verb continues [[la|dīvertō|alt=dīvertere|t=to turn aside, go another way]], from [[m|la|dis-]] and [[m|la|vertō|t=to turn]], with a change of conjugation;^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) “to amuse” grew out of “to turn away (from cares)”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) The LEI treats the Italian verb and its derivatives under Latin [[m|la|dēvertō|alt=dēvertere|t=to turn aside]].^(LEI|20, 81)

+

+ The musical sense, a light instrumental piece, is a calque of [[fr|divertissement]] according to DELI, Devoto–Oli and Zingarelli, although DELI itself dates it to 1587, earlier than the French use of 1790.^(DELI 1999)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The first record is in Pietro Bembo's ''Prose della volgar lingua'' of 1525, for the dropping of a vowel or consonant, an elision.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|4, 863) A sermon of Giordano da Pisa that the Crusca and Tommaseo quoted for “turning away (from good customs)” is a forgery.^(DELI 1999)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The old sense “removal, turning away” and the sense “digression” were in use in the 17th century, as in Segneri's ''divertimento del male'' (1673), and died out after it.^(LEI|20, 81)^(DELI 1999) The title of a collection of 1587, ''Trattenimenti ossia divertimenti da suonare'', has the musical sense.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The modern sense, “amusement, pastime”, is first found in Segneri in 1679, as the verb moved from “distract” to “entertain”.^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010) It also came to mean a person who amuses others or is laughed at, and a modulating episode in a fugue or sonata.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) The word passed into English as ''divertimento'', “amusement” in 1759 and the musical piece in 1823, into German in 1802 and into French, in the musical sense, in 1951.^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1525 – Pietro Bembo uses ''divertimento'' for “elision”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1587 – A Venetian collection is titled ''Trattenimenti ossia divertimenti da suonare''.^(DELI 1999)^(DIFIT)

+ * 1632–1639 – Bentivoglio uses the word for “digression”.^(LEI|20, 81)

+ * 1679 – Segneri uses it for “amusement, pastime”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1759 – English ''divertimento'' “amusement” is first recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1802 – German ''Divertimento'' is first recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1823 – English ''divertimento'' is recorded in the musical sense.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1951 – French ''divertimento'' is recorded in the musical sense.^(DIFIT)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|amusement]], [[m|en|fun]], a [[m|en|pastime]]: ''La pesca è il suo divertimento preferito.'', ''Buon divertimento!'', have fun!^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # The pleasure of amusement, also ironically: ''Che divertimento, tre ore in coda!''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # A person who amuses others, or a [[m|en|laughingstock]]: ''È il divertimento della classe.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(music)'' A light instrumental piece in several movements, typical of the 18th century; also, a modulating passage in a fugue or sonata.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(archaic)'' Removal; [[m|en|digression]].^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[divertire]]

+ * [[divertente]]

+ * [[fr|divertissement]]

+ * [[en|divertimento]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Parco dei divertimenti'' is an amusement park.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010) ''Non è un divertimento'' and ''sai che divertimento'' are said of something tiresome.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}