Zibaldone

by Leopardi, Giacomo

  For p. 3991, margin, end. One can observe also from the commentators on Anacreon the expressions or indications, etc., of practices, etc., which demonstrate the high degree in which in his day luxury, opulence, comfort, fine arts, etc., were to be found among the Ionians. (21 Dec. 1823.)

  [3996] Positivized diminutives. Menton, mentonnière [chinpiece] from mentum [chin]. You may see p. 3993, paragraph 4. (21 Dec. 1823.)

  To what has been said elsewhere [→Z 3622–24, 3632–33] about vermiglio, etc., add the French vermillon in so far as it means red (properly and originally bright red). See also vermiller [to grub up] which is perhaps from vermis, vermiculus [worm]. (20 Dec. 1823.)1

  To what has been said elsewhere [→Z 3074, 3487] in several places about falsus add. Falso for menzognero, finto, ingannatore, in short for qui fallit [one who deceives], where falsus would be passive for qui fallitur [one who is deceived], said of a person, belongs to Latin, Italian, Spanish (Don Quixote). See French. And generally too in its ordinary adjectival meaning, that is, said of a thing, etc., both falsus and falso, etc., have an active sense and come to mean deceiving, whereas it would appear that because of its grammatically passive form, it could only mean deceived. (22 Dec. 1823.)

  On potus a um [→Z 2146, 2841, 2917–18, 3760] add. Potus sum is also said, deponent in form like gavisus sum from gaudeo [to rejoice]. See Forcellini under poto [to drink], etc. See the same thing under prandeo [to breakfast] end and under pransus, and similar. (22 Dec. 1823.)

  About appariculus, apparecchio [device, appliance], etc., on which elsewhere [→Z 3515], it should be observed that there is no necessity to believe it to have been originally a diminutive, in spite of its desinence in ulus, as indeed elsewhere [→Z 3844, 3875], etc. (22 Dec. 1823.)

  Positivized diminutives. Chardon from carduus or from cardus. We have cardo [thistle]. Cardone in the Crusca is found in Alamanni, perhaps one of his usual Gallicisms, or else it is an augmentative indicating the wild nature of the plant, positivized, etc., like many others. But in French on the contrary it is diminutive. See Spanish. It should [3997] be noted on the subject of positivized diminutives, that the opposite of diminutives, that is augmentatives, are also frequently positivized in Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, Greek usage, etc. So too pejoratives and other such types and modifications of pejorative nouns, verbs, etc. etc. (22 Dec. 1823.)

  To what has been said elsewhere [→Z 2865–66, 3901] about the use of the Spanish adverb luego add an example from Hippocrates at the beginning of his book De flatibus. “Αὐτίκα γὰρ λιμὸς νοῦσος ἐστίν.” “For example,a hunger is indeed a disease.”1 Stupidly, the version emended by Mercuriale reads: “Quare statim ubi fames molestat, morbus fit” [“For which reason where hunger rages, disease is immediately produced”].2 And all the more stupidly in that the quare cannot logically have any connection to any of the previous matters. (22 Dec. 1823.)

  Greek positivized diminutives. Χρυσίον [piece of gold], ἀργύριον [piece of silver], which sometimes have a more restricted and particular meaning, etc., than the positives, sometimes the same. See Scapula. (22 Dec. 1823.)

  For p. 3992, margin. This also goes3 for the other poets of the same or more ancient or modern periods, most of whom always or very often wrote for money, and on commission. One cannot therefore argue too logically about the state of Greek language and literature of those times in relation to dialects from the dialect which such poets, especially those who write lyric, epigrammatic, elegiac, or funeral verse, adopt in such compositions, but rather from those which can be seen to have been written according to the taste and choice of the author. Such seem to be those compositions of Simonides whose fragments are completely or almost completely (insofar as Greek poetic language can restrict itself to one dialect, etc. etc.) Ionic. And on the contrary those which are Doric belong evidently to the other genre mentioned above, etc. (23 Dec. 1823.)

  [3998] For p. 3636. —or because they derive from Latin, they do not have the same meaning, use, etc., which they have in Latin but a completely different one, as for example cintola [belt], positivized diminutive from cinta [perimeter], noun. In Latin however there is cinctus us [girding, belt], and cinctum i, whence we also have cinto and the positivized diminutive (in Latin style) cintolo, with cintolino, etc. Perhaps though cinta for cinto is only a corruption of the latter, etc. And see if there is anything about it in the Glossary under cincta, etc., that is whether that same word was barbarian Latin. (24 Dec., Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  Greek positivized diminutives. Μόριον [piece]. See the Lexicon with all its compounds, derivations, etc. (and so too the compounds, derivatives, etc., of the other Greek positivized diminutives, noted elsewhere by me [→Z 3618, 3975]). Μορὶς ίδος, μερὶς μερίδος [portion]. ᾿Αγγεῖον [vessel for holding liquid or dry substances, casket]. If this is really diminutive as the Grammar of Padua1 says, not only is it positivized, but it forms from it a supradiminutive, that is ἀγγείδιον, and note also the use of supradiminutives, etc., in Greek as well, although here only one of the diminutions would take effect, etc. One can believe that a large number of Greek words in ιον, in ὶς ίδος, or in any of the many diminutive forms in use in this language (see Weller),2 are positivized diminutives, although it does not have the positives, or these are only used in a very different sense, and for these and similar and many reasons those nouns are not considered by the Grammarians to have been diminutive in origin (for example, ἰσχίον [hip joint], κοράλλιον [coral] or κουράλιον, βαλάντιον [purse, javelin], σίλφιον [laserwort] (the derivation σιλφῶδες indicates a positive of σίλφιον, because the latter would give σιλφιῶδες). See p. 4018, etc.). The same thing came about in Latin, in modern languages, etc. And what I say about nouns can be extended to the other parts of speech, etc. (24 Dec., Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  To what has been said elsewhere [→Z 2842–43] about gozar [to enjoy], add gozoso, that is gaudiosus, almost gavisosus. (24 Dec., Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  Passive participles in active or neuter, etc., sense. Agradecido [appreciative] [3999] for agradeciente, and I find it also, in Don Quixote, for agreeable, polite. Other times I find it for benign, favorable (“fue mas agradecida y liberal la naturaleza que la fortuna” [“nature was more favorable and generous than fortune”]).1 Desagradecido for ungrateful. Don Quixote. Leido for who has read, well-read (ibid., “leido en cosas de Caballeria andantesca,” that is, “who has read romances of Chivalry,” as is seen here). In any case this participle is used as an adjective and so with all or almost all other such participles so used, etc., as I think I have said elsewhere [→Z 3851, 3992] but that doesn’t mean, etc. etc. (24 Dec., Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  Could amarillo, an evidently diminutive word, come from an amaro (different from amargo) and this from ἀμαυρός [dark, dim]? In any case the fact that it is a diminutive word ought not to cause surprise, whether it is considered as a word meaning color (so rossetto, etc. etc., in which case it would be positivized, because it does not mean pallidetto [somewhat pale] but pallido [pale], which must also have been the meaning of amaro), or as meaning uneasiness, an ailing state, color, and appearance, etc. (in which case it would not be positivized, etc.). In any case both the proper and the metaphorical meaning of ἀμαυρός, irrespective of which meaning is supposed to be the origin of amarillo, and whatever the proper and primitive meaning of this word is, are very suited to it and correspond to it wonderfully. Now wherever would Spanish have gotten this Greek word from? Certainly, as far as I know, Spain never had Greek colonies or any commerce with Greeks, etc.,2 and its geographical position has always made it so to say isolated, also in ancient times, until the arrival of the Romans, etc. etc. (24 Dec. 1823, Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  Empujar that is impellere [to push], but it comes from an impulsare. See its derivations. Pousser (pellere) from pulsare, with its derivations. Pujar and certain of its derivations,
equally sobrepujar, or are formed from pousser. See the Spanish Dictionaries and correct certain things I said when speaking of [4000] pujanza [→Z 3743–44] on the topic of potens. This word pujanza has a completely different origin, I think, nor does it come, as might appear to everyone, from pujar, in the same way as puissance, puissant, etc., have nothing to do with pousser and its derivations. (24 Dec., Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  On the subject of the redundancy of the pronoun altro in Italian and in Greek, noted elsewhere [→Z 2864, 2891–92, 3587], it should be observed that altro with us often simply counts the same as alcuna cosa, especially in negation, whence senz’altro counts often as senz’alcuna cosa, that is senza nulla, and altri, when it is used in the same way as the French on (and as the Italian uomo, uno, la persona, si, etc.) counts as alcuno, which indeed in the same cases is very often said. There is a passage in Petrarch, Canzone “Una donna più bella,” stanza 3, l. 12,1 where altro, on examining the passage carefully, seems to me (and I do not think that anyone until now has understood it) can only mean alcuna cosa, that is, since it stands with the negation virtually understood, nothing. (24 Dec., Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  Positivized diminutives. Gomitolo, aggomitolare, etc., from glomus [ball of yarn] or glomer. See the Crusca and Forcellini with the Glossary, etc., and see if glomus, etc., counts the same. (24 Dec. 1823.)

  Frequentative or diminutive, etc., Italian verbs. Penzolare and spenzolare [to hang down] with their derivations. They seem then to be formed from penzolo [hanging], and this from pendolo [pendulum] which is not diminutive. Rotolare, rotolone [roll], etc. (24 Dec. 1823.) Penzigliare, penzigliante [to hang down]. See the following thought.

  For p. 3995, beginning. Coccolone, or coccoloni from coccare, penzolone or penzoloni (see the previous thought), rotolone, etc. All frequentative forms. And this form is widely used in such adverbs in one or oni which are proper to our language, which are equivalent to gerunds [4001] of the respective verbs (whether they are frequentative or diminutive, etc., in olare or something, or whether they are not so at all) from which they are formed (if they are formed from a verb). Therefore the form in short ol, is certainly proper to our language, and is often frequentative, diminutive, etc., in Italian as in Latin, etc. Ruotolo or rotolo. Coccola, coccolina [berry]. Concola [basin] (Romans always have concolina, for what we would call catino [basin] for washing one’s hands and face) from conca. See Forcellini and the Greek Lexicons where κογχύλιον [cockle] is diminutive. And see p. 3636, margin, fromba diminished to frombola [sling], both words which have nothing to do with Latin. So too grappo and grappolo, on which elsewhere [→Z 3978]; and see the Glossary. See the Glossary Goccia and gocciola, gocciolare and gocciare, sgocciolare, etc., from gutta [drop], on which elsewhere [→Z 3894]. Seggia, seggio and seggiolo [seat], with their derivations, etc., on which elsewhere [→Z 3687]. Cuccio and cucciolo [pup], ciotto and ciottolo [stone] with their derivations, compounds, etc. Ciccia and cicciolo or sicciolo [fat, rind]. Chiappole [trifle], bruscoli [speck], pappolate [slops], etc. Frotta and frottola [nonsense]. Tetta and tettola [breast]: see p. 4007. Snocciolare from nócciolo [hazelnut, fruit stone]. That is how Alberti writes it, nócciolo. Just as from cochlea, chiócciola: we in the Marche say cuccióla [snail], etc.; See the Crusca: nócciolo appears to be from nucleus [nut] which is not diminutive: therefore nor is snocciolare that is enucleare [to take out the kernel]. (24 Dec. 1823.) See p. 4003.

  On the subject of the benevolent deities which are and have been venerated, invented, etc., by civilized nations, and all the more so, the more civilized they are, as I have said elsewhere[→Z 3638–45], one might add, not only benevolent, but also graceful, appealing, etc., even when they are not benevolent, or indifferent, like so many divinities, allegorical figures, personifications of natural, human, etc., qualities or subjects, etc., in Greek mythology, etc. etc. (24 Dec., Christmas Eve, 1823.)

  On Greek colonies in Italy, Sicily, etc., and ancient Greek commerce in Italy, before the rule of the Romans and the diffusion or formation of the Latin language which we know, that is Roman Latin, etc., and on Grecisms which for such reasons may have remained in Vulgar Latin in those regions, and therefore also in common Italian, especially since the formation and the literature of the latter had its beginnings in Sicily and in the [4002] kingdom,1 as Perticari shows in the Apologia,2 etc. etc., on all of this the discussion should proceed proportionately in the way in which elsewhere [→Z 1014–16, 2655] there has been discussion about the Greco-Gallic Colonies, about Marseilles, etc., in relation to Grecisms in French which are not common to known Latin, etc. (24 Dec. 1823, Christmas Eve.)

  “Κρεῖττον ἑλέσθαι ψεῦδος ἢ ἀληθὲς κακόν” [“A lie is preferable to the unhappy truth”]. Menander, in St. Maximus, Capita theologica, discourse 35, end.3 (24 Dec. 1823, Christmas Eve).

  Greek positivized diminutives. Προβάτιον [livestock]. See Scapula. The passage of Hippocrates quoted there is at the beginning of the book De morbo sacro: “οὐ γάρ ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ἄλλο προβάτιον οὐδὲν ἢ αἶγες καὶ βόες” [“in effect there is no livestock other than goats and oxen”].4 ῾Ιμάτιον [garment] from εἷμα ατος [garment] or ἷμα ατος (just as from ἀπόσπασμα ατος [something torn off, a piece], ἀποσπασμάτιον diminutive and similar), positivized diminutive, except that εἷμα (poetic, that is to say ancient) is perhaps a little more generic. Perhaps the same should be said of φόρτος [load, freight] and φορτίον [load, freight]. See Scapula. (25 Dec., Christmas Day, 1823.)

  I speak elsewhere of our sometimes changing the Latin cul to gli [→Z 3515] with the example of periglio [danger], etc. Add spiraglio from spiraculum where spiracolo [airhole] is also said, as too pericolo. (25 Dec., Christmas Day, 1823.)

  Volere [to want] for potere [to be able to], Greek and Italian idiom, on which elsewhere [→Z 2919–22 and 3000–3001]. Hippocrates or whoever is the author of the book De morbo sacro attributed to him, Mercuriale’s edition, Venice 1588, Hippocrates’s Opera, part 3, p. 347d, third page of said book. “Οὐ μέντοι ἔγωγε ἀξιῶ ὑπὸ θεοῦ ἀνθρώπου σῶμα μιαίνεσθαι, τὸ ὑποκηρότατον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγνοτάτου, ἀλλὰ κ' ἢν τυγχάνῃ ὑπὸ [4003] ἑτέρου μεμιασμένον ἢ τὶ πεπονθός, ἐθέλοι” (posset) “ἂν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ καθαίρεσθαι καὶ ἁγνίζεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ μιαίνεσθαι” [“For my part, I do not consider in any way that the human body can be contaminated by god: what is the most transitory by the most pure; but even in the case that it could be found to be contaminated by some other thing or in any way affected by anything, I consider that it would be purified and sanctified by god rather than contaminated”].1 That is purgaretur et purificaretur magis quam inquinaretur [it would be purged and purified rather than contaminated], or else posset purgari [it could be purged], etc. The ἐθέλοι could easily be omitted by resolving into the optative with the particle ἂν the infinitive verbs which depend on it, and the passage would have almost the same value. But the expression is very elegant. (25 Dec., Christmas Day, 1823.)

  For p. 4001. Note that the desinence in olare, where the ol is short, etc., whether diminutive or frequentative, etc., is present in our language in a large number of words which do not have nor could have had anything to do with Latin. It is even joined to other desinences and forms which are completely Italian and in no way Latin, as from ballonzare, an Italian (or Tuscan) formation from ballare [to dance], we get ballonzolare (even the form in olare seems to be proper to or more particularly Tuscan than anything else). In the same way from pallotta [ball] pallottola, and similar. Collottola, frottola. Viottolo [path], viottola (this is in truth a completely Italian diminution in ottolo, as much so as the short olo is Italian, etc.) a diminutive of via, and many others like it, etc. The uolo then is joined in a thousand ways, etc., but it does not
seem to me that it can be a supradiminutive (the opposite to what I think about ŏlo), but rather it can receive it, etc. (25 Dec. 1823.) See below.2

  Italian frequentatives, etc. See in the preceding thought a verb which is superfrequentative or supradiminutive, etc., as there are others as well, or we can form them according to the wish and the judgment of the writer, speaker, etc. (25 Dec. 1823.) See the following page.

  See the preceding thought,3 and observe that the formation in olare is still today, among others, at the discrete judgment of the writer, or speaker, etc., and that the vulgar languages make use of this discretion as well, especially in Tuscany, etc., which have no knowledge of Latin, etc. (25 Dec. 1823, Christmas Day.)

  [4004] Greek positivized diminutives. Χωρίον [place]. See Scapula. (25 Dec. 1823.)

  For the preceding page. —In icare, such as verzicare or verdicare (inverzicare active as would appear) for verdeggiare [to be green] and many others (dimenticare [to forget] belongs here). This form of frequentatives is absolutely Latin. See p. 2996, margin, etc. And there are many other examples, other than those cited here. Voltolare, rivoltolare [to roll], avvoltolatamente. Vagellare (Crusca), vagolare and svagolare (Alberti), from vagari [to go to and fro]. It is also used especially in Latin in the precise matter of colors, as you can also recognize here. See exactly in Forcellini viridicans and virĭdicatus. Forcellini is wrong when he says that virĭdicans is for viridans, the latter active and the former neuter and in fact equivalent to our verzicante or verdicante (Crusca), apart from the fact that if virĭdans were also neuter, it would not therefore, like the former, be frequentative, etc. See the Glossary, etc. (25 Dec., Christmas Day, 1823.) So from nivo is and from nevare (Italian) nevicare [to snow] (in the vulgar nevigare, and see the Glossary) frequentative in the Latin manner, about which words I think I have spoken elsewhere [→Z 3942]. Morsicare; but it no longer has its frequentative sense, etc., on the contrary it has the very same sense as the positive mordere [to bite], although the Crusca defines it as morsecchiare. See it, and under morsicatura, etc. Masticare. See Forcellini and the Glossary. See p. 4008, paragraph 4, end. Rampicare arrampicare arpicare from rampare–rampante [to climb], or from rampa or from rampo. Inerpicare, inarpicare [to climb]. Luccicare [to sparkle], sbarbicare [to uproot]–lucere, sbarbare. See p. 4019, paragraph 1. Zoppicare [to limp], impetricato [turned to stone], nutrico as [to suckle, to nourish] and nutricor [to suckle, to nourish] on which elsewhere [→Z 2996].