Etimologia / Etymology

L’analisi dell’etimologia mostra come sia in inglese sia nelle lingue di ceppo latino, il termine che indica Rounded/Arrotondato provenga dal latino “retundus”. Il concetto di Sharp/Affilato ha invece etimologie differenti.

The analysis of the etymology shows that both in English and in the languages that come from Latin, the term for Rounded / Arrotondato is from the Latin "retundus." The concept of Sharp / Affilato has rather different etymologies.

 

ETIMOLOGIA ITALIANA

AFFILATO: dal verbo “affilare” che significa ridurre ferri a taglio acuto, operazione comunemente detta come dare il filo. A sua volta “affilare” deriva dal latino fig-lum dalla stessa radice di fig-ere: conficcare, infiggere

ARROTONDATO: dal latino retŭndu(m), per il classico rotŭndu(m). che significa ‘rotondo’ e da cui deriva nell’italiano del XIV secolo “ritóndo” (☼ 1266).

ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY

SHARP: O.E. scearp "cutting, keen, sharp," from P.Gmc. *skarpaz, lit. "cutting" (cf. O.S. scarp O.N. skarpr O.Fris. skerp Du. scherp Ger. scharf "sharp"), from PIE *(s)ker- "cut" (cf. Lett. skarbs "sharp," M.Ir. cerb "cutting;" see shear). The fig. meaning "acute or penetrating in intellect or perception" is from O.E. The meaning "promptly" is first attested 1840. The musical meaning "half step above a given tone" is from 1576. Phrase sharp as a tack first recorded 1912 (sharp as a needle has been around since O.E.).

 

ROUNDED: late 13c., from Anglo-Fr. rounde, O.Fr. roont, probably originally *redond, from V.L. *retundus (cf. Prov. redon, Sp. redondo, O.It. ritondo), from L. rotundus "like a wheel, circular, round," related to rota "wheel" (see rotary). The O.Fr. word is the source of M.Du. ront (Du. rond), M.H.G. runt (Ger. rund) and similar Germanic words. In many uses it is an aphetic form of around. First record of round trip is from 1860. Round number is 1640s, from earlier sense of "full, complete" (mid-14c., sense of symmetry extended to that of completeness); roundhouse (1580s) is from Du. rondhuis "guardhouse." Round heels attested from 1926, in reference to incompetent boxers, 1927 in reference to loose women, in either case implying an inability to avoid ending up flat on one's back.