Fondandosi

Fondandosi is the gerund of the Italian verb fondarsi, meaning to be founded or to be based on something. In scholarly and formal writing it introduces an adjunct clause that indicates the underlying basis or origin of a claim, theory, or institution. It is commonly used to describe how conclusions are derived from evidence, premises, or principles.

As a present participle, fondandosi is used to connect actions and to signal that the main clause rests on what follows: for example, "La teoria, fondandosi sui dati empirici, è stata riformulata." It can be used with phrases such as sui dati, sulla base di, a partire da, to express that the next element provides the basis for the statement or action.

Etymology and usage notes: fondarsi comes from Latin fundare, related to the idea of establishing or founding. The term is often contrasted with physical processes expressed by fondersi or fondere (to melt or fuse), which refer to material fusion rather than epistemic grounding. Fondandosi therefore signals foundations, grounds, or premises rather than literal fusion.

See also: fondazione, fondatore, fondazione etica. In practice, fondandosi is most appropriate in analytic or expository prose when one wants to emphasize that a theory, argument, policy, or institution rests on specific premises or evidence, rather than merely describing a sequence of events.