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cotanto. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
cotanto, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
cotanto in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Italian
Etymology
Inherited from Vulgar Latin *(ec)cu tantum, from Latin eccum + tantum (“so much”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /koˈtan.to/
- Rhymes: -anto
- Hyphenation: co‧tàn‧to
Determiner
cotanto (feminine cotanta, masculine plural cotanti, feminine plural cotante) (dated, literary)
- so much
- (in the plural) so many
- 1374, Francesco Petrarca, I Trionfi - “Trionfo d'amore” (Cristoforo Pasqualigo, Grimaldo (1874), p. 31, vv.115-117):
Da indi in qua cotante carte aspergo ¶ Di pensieri, di lagrime e d'inchiostro; ¶ Tante ne straccio n'apparecchio e vergo.- Thenceforth so many bookfells have I sprinkled ¶ With thoughts, tears and ink; ¶ Many do I torn graith and inscribe.
- such
1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto V, p. 83 vv. 133-136:Quando leggemmo il disïato riso ¶ esser basciato da cotanto amante, ¶ questi, che mai da me non fia diviso, ¶ la bocca mi basciò tutto tremante.- When as we read of the much-longed-for smile ¶ being by such a noble lover kissed, ¶ this one, who ne'er from me shall be divided ¶ kissed me upon the mouth all palpitating.
Adverb
cotanto (dated, literary)
- so much, to such an extent
1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno, Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto XIX, p. 285 vv. 67-69:Se di saper ch'i sia ti cal cotanto, ¶ che tu abbi però la ripa corsa, ¶ sappi ch'i fui vestito del gran manto; [...]- If who I am thou carest so much to know, ¶ that thou on that account hast crossed the bank, ¶ know that I vested was with the great mantle;
- for so long, for such a long time
- 1828, Giacomo Leopardi, A Silvia (Alessandro Donati, Giacomo Leopardi - Canti, Laterza (1917), p. 81 vv. 56-59):
uesto è quel mondo? questi ¶ i diletti, l’amor, l’opre, gli eventi, ¶ onde cotanto ragionammo insieme? ¶ questa la sorte dell’umane genti?- Is this that world? These ¶ the delights, the love, the works, the events, ¶ which for so long we discussed? ¶ is this the fate of mankind?
Pronoun
cotanto (invariable) (archaic, literary)
- just this; only this
- c. 13th century, Novellino (Le ciento novelle antike, Girolamo Benedetti (1525)), D’un savio greco, c’uno re teneva in pregione, come giudicò d’uno destriere:
Il Greco aviſò il cavallo e diſſe, Meſſere, lo cavalo è di bella guiſa, ma cotanto vi dico, kel cavallo è nutricato a latte d’Aſino.- The Greek looked at the horse and said: «Sir, the horse is of good aspect, but I'm only saying this, that the horse is raised on donkey milk.»
Further reading
- cotanto in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana
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