unità Italian · revision 39364

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=14th century|origins=la unus}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * /u.niˈta/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''unità''' ''f'' (invariable)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old forms are [[roa-oit|unitate]] and [[roa-oit|unitade]].^(DELI 1999)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|unitas|t=oneness, unity]], from [[m|la|unus|t=one]] with the suffix [[m|la|-tās]].^(Nocentini 2010)^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Wiktionary)^(OLD 2012) The GDLI calls it a learned word, and Körting notes that it is learned in every Romance language: [[pro|unitat]], [[fr|unité]], [[es|unidad]].^(GDLI)^(Körting 1907)^(Nocentini 2010) It comes from the Latin accusative, with the ending cut short, as Sabatini–Coletti note; the older forms kept it as ⟨-tate⟩ and ⟨-tade⟩.^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ DELI's first records are from the 14th century, as ''unitate'' in Jacopone, ''unitade'' in Dante and ''unità'' in the translation of Saint Augustine, for the quality of being one and indivisible.^(DELI 1999) The translation of Augustine says that woman was made from man ''per commendare l'unitade'' (“to commend unity”).^(GDLI)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Giovanni Villani, before 1348, already used the word for agreement and concord.^(DELI 1999) The mathematical senses came in the 16th century: the units digit in Benedetto Varchi (before 1565) and the number one in Cosimo Bartoli (before 1572).^(DELI 1999) Paolo Segneri used it in 1673 for the unity of God in three persons.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ The Risorgimento made the political sense central: ''unità italiana'' is recorded in 1851.^(DELI 1999) The dramatic unities of time, place and action of classical tragedy are recorded from 1875, and the unit of measure from 1891.^(DELI 1999) In the 20th century the word came to mean a single element of a whole, partly under the influence of English ''unit'', and in military use a body of troops or a single ship or aircraft (1905).^(Treccani 2011)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 14th century – Jacopone, Dante and the translation of Augustine have the first records.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1348 – Giovanni Villani uses it for “concord”.^(DELI 1999)

+ * Before 1565 – Benedetto Varchi uses it for the units digit.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1673 – Paolo Segneri uses it for the unity of God.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1851 – ''Unità italiana'' “Italian unity” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1891 – ''Unità di misura'' “unit of measure” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1905 – The military senses appear.^(DELI 1999)

+ * 1926 – The sense “single element of a whole” is recorded.^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # [[m|en|unity]], oneness: the condition of being one and indivisible, as opposed to multiplicity.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # The quality of forming a coherent whole of many parts: ''Al romanzo manca unità di stile.''^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Gabrielli 2020)

+ # Political union: ''l'unità d'Italia''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Devoto–Oli 2026)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # Concord, agreement among people: ''unità di intenti''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Zingarelli 2010)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' The number one; the units place of a number.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(Treccani 2011)

+ # A [[m|en|unit]] of measure.^(GRADIT 2003)^(DELI 1999)

+ # A single element that is part of a whole: ''un'unità lessicale''.^(GRADIT 2003)^(Treccani 2011)^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)

+ # ''(military)'' A unit of troops; a single ship or aircraft: ''Due unità della marina sono rientrate in porto.''^(Sabatini–Coletti 2026)^(DELI 1999)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[unitario]]

+ * [[unitarietà]]

+ * [[unitarismo]]

+ * [[disunità]]

+ * [[sottounità]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[uno]]

+ * [[unire]]

+ * [[unico]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ ''Unità di tempo, di luogo e d'azione'', the three unities, were the rule of classical tragedy that the action take place in one day, in one place and without digressions.^(Zingarelli 2010)^(Treccani 2011)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}