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cotanto. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
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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):
[Q]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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