Tingere

Tingere is an Italian verb meaning to dye or to color. It denotes the act of imparting color to a material such as fabric, hair, leather, or paint. The process can involve dyes of various types, natural or synthetic, and can yield a uniform color or a tint. Tingere is also used figuratively to describe shading or tonal changes. The reflexive form tingersi is common when referring to changing one’s own hair color, as in mi tingo i capelli di castano. The past participle is tinto, and the verb is used with different auxiliaries depending on transitivity: ho tinto la stoffa; è tinta di blu.

Etymology and relation to other languages: Tingere derives from Latin tingere, tingeo, tingui, meaning to dye or color, and it is cognate with the English word tint (tinge). This shared root underlies related terms in several Romance languages and the specialized vocabulary of painting and textile dyeing.

Conjugation and usage: Tingere is a regular -ere verb. In the present indicative the forms are tingo, tingi, tinge, tingiamo, tingete, tingono. Other tenses follow the standard patterns for -ere verbs, for example imperfect tingevo, tingevi, tingeva, tingevamo, tingevate, tingevano; future tingerò, tingerai, tingera, tingremo, tingete, tingono. The gerund is tingendo. The verb supports both transitive uses (tingere qualcosa di colore) and intransitive or reflexive uses (tingersi i capelli).

See also: The Italian term is closely connected to the concept of dyeing and tinting in art, textiles, and design, and to the English noun tint, which shares the same root.