Sometimes, even if you have a good command of a language, you come across a word that doesn't immediately match up with any other words you know in that language. You can simply look up the English translation and add it to your flashcards, or memorize it. But sometimes it is interesting to look up the etymology of the word, and then you say, "Ah ha! I get it." It can help you remember it. 

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That happened with a preposition in this week's segment of Provaci ancora, prof!  Renzo is mopping the floor of his studio, perhaps to let off steam, and his mother-in-law shows up. He doesn't want her to step on his newly mopped, wet floor, so he asks her to stay as close to the wall as possible, in other words, to hug the wall. He uses the word rasente.

Sì, magari se devi passare proprio, vai un po' rasente rasente il muro perché...

Yes, if you {really} have to come through, maybe go nice and close to the wall because...

Captions 61-62, Provaci ancora prof! S3 EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 12

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If we look closely at the word rasente, we might discern the -ente ending, indicating that the word likely comes from a verb, since -ente is an ending for the present participle of some verbs. The etymological dictionary tells us rasente comes from the verb rasentare. It means "to stay very close to."

This example is metaphorical, using the example of getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff.  

Non s'arriva in così pochi anni dove siamo arrivati noi, se non si rasenta sempre il burrone.

One doesn't reach where we've gotten in so few years if one doesn't always graze the edge of a cliff.

Captions 4-5, Trailer Il figlio più piccolo

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But rasentare can also be used figuratively, to mean "to border on." 

Mi consideravo molto inferiore alla media e avevo un rispetto che rasentava quasi il terrore di mio padre, che era una personalità fortissima.

I considered myself way below average and I had a respect that bordered on terror of my father, who was a very strong figure.

Captions 13-15, Illuminate Rita Levi Montalcini - Part 6

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Looking up the etymology of a word online usually takes us to Treccani, a very trusted dictionary. But here's another etymological dictionary.

Some dictionaries say that rasentare likely derives from the verb rasare, meaning "to shave." Some say it derives from radere, another verb commonly used to mean "to shave". We think of the noun il rasoio (the razor) and the English verb "to raze."

Ma non era meglio con il rasoio elettrico, no?

But it wasn't better with the electric razor, huh?

Caption 2, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP6 Dalla parte degli ultimi - Part 11

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Looking up the Italian translation of "to raze," we obtain verbs like demolire (to demolish) but also radere al suolo (to raze [to the ground]). 

Thanks for reading. You can write to us with comments or questions at [email protected].

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