fallire Italian · revision 39316

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=inherited|attested=late 12th century, Ritmo di Sant'Alessio|origins=la fallō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /falˈli.re/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''fallire''' (first-person singular present fallìsco, first-person singular past historic fallìi, past participle fallìto, auxiliary avére or (in the meanings "to fail, to flop, to go bankrupt") èssere)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|la-vul|*falliō|alt=*fallīre]], [[inh|la|fallō|t=to deceive]] moved from the third conjugation to the fourth.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Wiktionary)^(Devoto 1968) In the passive the Latin verb meant “to be mistaken, to err”, which is the starting point of the Italian senses “to sin, to make a mistake”.^(Nocentini 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ The same verb is [[fr|faillir]], [[oc|falhir]] and [[osp|fallir]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Körting 1907) Modern Spanish uses [[m|es|fallecer]] for “to be lacking”, and keeps [[m|es|fallir]] only as a loan meaning “to go bankrupt”.^(Körting 1907)

+

+ De Vaan derives Latin [[m|la|fallō]] from [[ine-pro|*sgʷʰh₂(e)l-|t=to stumble]], comparing [[grc|σφάλλω|tr=sphállō|t=to bring down]] and [[sa|स्खलते|tr=skhalate|t=stumbles, fails]]: the Latin sense would have moved from “to make stumble” to “to deceive”.^(de Vaan 2008) Nocentini also compares [[goh|fallan|t=to fall]], and Devoto calls the image one of the metaphors taken from the difficulties of walking, as in [[peccato]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(Devoto 1968)

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+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The TLIO's first record is the ''Ritmo di Sant'Alessio'', a poem from the Marche of the late 12th century.^(TLIO) DELI's first dated sense is “to commit a fault or an error”, in Bonagiunta Orbicciani in the 13th century, who writes that a man who does not fall in love ''fallisce troppo'', “errs greatly”.^(DELI 1999)^(GDLI|5)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The religious sense “to sin” and the sense “not to succeed in an aim” (before 1294, Guittone d'Arezzo) are the oldest;^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) Brunetto Latini also used the verb for “to diminish, give out”, as Dante's ''li fallìa la lena'', “his breath failed him”.^(DELI 1999)^(GRADIT 2003) The transitive sense “to miss a blow or a target” is recorded in 1304 in Giordano da Pisa.^(DELI 1999)

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+ The commercial sense “to go bankrupt” appears before 1348 in Giovanni Villani, and the verb spread in this sense through the trading cities: German borrowed it as ''fallieren'' in 1548.^(DELI 1999)^(DIFIT) The GDLI notes this double spread, religious and legal.^(GDLI|5) The infinitive was also used as a noun, ''il fallire'', “a fault, a sin”, in poets from Guittone to Michelangelo;^(GDLI|5, 602)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Petrarch wrote ''’n giovenil fallir è men vergogna''.^(GDLI|5, 602)^(Tommaseo–Bellini 1861) Today the verb means above all “to fail” and “to go bankrupt”; the senses “to sin” and “to deceive” are archaic.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * Late 12th century – The ''Ritmo di Sant'Alessio'' is the TLIO's first record.^(TLIO)

+ * 13th century – Bonagiunta uses the verb for “to err, sin”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1294 – Guittone d'Arezzo uses it for “not to succeed”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1304 – Giordano da Pisa uses it for “to miss (a blow)”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it for “to go bankrupt”, and ''fallito'' for a bankrupt.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1548 – German ''fallieren'' “to go bankrupt” is recorded.^(DIFIT)

+ * 1918 – ''Fallimentare'' “of bankruptcy” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Verb===

+ # ''(intransitive, of a person; auxiliary avere)'' To [[m|en|fail]], not to succeed in what one attempts: ''Ho fallito due volte prima di riuscirci.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive, of a thing; auxiliary essere)'' To come to nothing, have a negative outcome: ''Il piano di salvataggio è fallito.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(intransitive, auxiliary essere)'' To go [[m|en|bankrupt]]: ''Il negozio sotto casa è fallito.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(literary)'' To fall short of, not keep: ''fallire a un impegno''.^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # ''(transitive)'' To [[m|en|miss]] a target or a ball: ''fallire il colpo'', ''fallire la porta'' in football.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(archaic)'' To sin, commit a fault, and transitively to deceive.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[fallito]]

+ * [[fallimento]]

+ * [[fallimentare]]

+ * [[fallibile]]

+ * [[fallibilità]]

+ * [[infallibile]]

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+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fallabile]]

+ * [[fallare]]

+ * [[fallo]]

+ * [[falso]]

+ * [[fr|faillir]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ With a person as subject the auxiliary is ''avere'' (''ha fallito''), with a thing or a firm as subject ''essere'' (''la ditta è fallita'').^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Devoto–Oli 2026) The past participle ''fallito'' is also an adjective and a noun: “failed” and “a failure, a bankrupt”.^(DELI 1999)^(Treccani 2011)

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+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}