Decorrere

Decorrere is an Italian verb meaning to elapse, to pass with respect to time, or to come into effect. It is frequently used in legal, administrative, and contractual contexts to indicate when a period begins to run or when a rule, deadline, or agreement becomes operative. In everyday speech, it can also refer to the passage of time more generally, similar to “to run” or “to elapse” in English.

Etymology and form: decorrere originates from Latin with the de- prefix and a root related to currere, the verb “to run.” The sense of time passing or starting to be effective is carried into Italian, where the word is treated as a regular -ere verb. The noun decorrenza is derived from decorrere and denotes the starting point or onset of a term or period, such as the decorrenza di una scadenza.

Usage and nuances: In legal and administrative language, decorre is used with phrases such as decorre dal (starts from) or decorre nel tempo (unfolds over time). It often governs expressions like termini, prescrizioni, contratti, and efficacia. While primarily intransitive, it commonly appears with prepositional phrases to specify the starting moment or the duration of effect. In contemporary Italian, decorrenza is the common noun for the moment when a term begins to apply or a rule takes effect.

See also: decorrenza, decorso, decorrevole (related terms describing time, onset, or progression), scadenza, prescrizione.