attorno Italian · revision 39260

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=compound|attested=first half of the 13th century, Pseudo-Uguccione|origins=la tornus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /atˈtor.no/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''attorno'''^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms include [[roa-oit|atorno]], [[roa-oit|a torno]], [[roa-oit|atornu]], [[roa-oit|adturnu]] and [[roa-oit|actornu]].^(TLIO) The phrase written separately, ''a torno'', survives as a rare literary form.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is a phrase meaning “in a circle” written as one word: [[af|it|a|torno|t1=to, at|t2=turn, circuit]].^(DELI 1999)^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary) Devoto analysed it in the same way.^(Devoto 1968|48) The noun, now obsolete, is derived from [[tornare]], which continues [[la|tornō|t=to turn on a lathe]], from [[m|la|tornus|t=lathe]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ On [[dattorno|alt=d'attorno]], recorded in Dino Compagni (1310–1312), DELI quotes Battaglia's remark that the modern spelling with an apostrophe may be arbitrary in old texts, which wrote it as one word, like [[daccapo]].^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is in the Lombard ''Istoria'' of the Pseudo-Uguccione, from the first half of the 13th century.^(TLIO) DELI and GRADIT date the word to 1282, in Ristoro d'Arezzo, with the sense “around, in a circle”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In Old Italian the word meant movement in a circle or something wrapped round an object, then position along the edges of something, the surrounding places, and movement in no fixed direction, “about”.^(TLIO) With ''a'' it formed the prepositional phrase ''attorno a'' “around”, and already before 1375 it could mean “approximately” with numbers and “concerning” a subject.^(TLIO) Petrarch writes ''volgeasi attorno'' “turned around”, and Boccaccio describes a woman beset by horseflies who kept waving her hands about.^(GDLI|1, 828)

+

+ Tommaseo noted that ''attorno'' suits movement and ''intorno'' rest.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Modern dictionaries say that ''attorno'' has mostly the same uses as ''intorno'' but is preferred with verbs of motion and in set phrases: ''andare attorno'' “go about”, ''guardarsi attorno'' “look about one, take care”, ''levarsi d'attorno'' “get rid of”, ''darsi d'attorno'' “bustle about”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * First half of the 13th century – The Lombard ''Istoria'' of the Pseudo-Uguccione has the first record.^(TLIO)

+ * 1282 – Ristoro d'Arezzo uses ''attorno'' “in a circle”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)

+ * 1310–1312 – ''D'attorno'' “in the surrounding places” appears in Dino Compagni.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1861 – Tommaseo distinguishes ''attorno'' of motion from ''intorno'' of rest.^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Adverb===

+ # [[m|en|around]], round about, in a circle: ''Si guardò attorno prima di entrare.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Nearby, close to someone, often in a negative sense: ''avere qualcuno attorno'', to have someone always hanging about.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # After ''qui'', ''qua'', ''lì'', ''là'': in the area around a place: ''Il bar è qui attorno.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ===Preposition===

+ # ''attorno a'': [[m|en|round]], around: ''I bambini correvano attorno alla fontana.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''attorno a'': [[m|en|about]], approximately, with times and quantities: ''Arriverò attorno alle nove.''^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''attorno a'' ''(rare)'': concerning, on the subject of.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(TLIO)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[attorniare]]

+ * [[dattorno]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[intorno]]

+ * [[torno]]

+ * [[tornare]]

+ * [[contorno]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Common phrases include ''andare attorno'' (to go about; of rumours, to circulate), ''levarsi'' or ''togliersi qualcuno d'attorno'' (to get rid of someone), ''darsi d'attorno'' (to busy oneself) and the repeated ''attorno attorno'', “all around”.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Gabrielli 2020)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ Old Italian had other words with this spelling: a noun ''attorno'' “beauty”, in the Florentine ''Fiore'' of the late 13th century, is a loan from Old French ''ator''.^(TLIO) An adjective ''attorno'' “eternal”, in Francesco da Barberino, is an old popular and dialect form of ''etterno''.^(GDLI|1, 815)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}