andata

Andata is an Italian noun derived from the verb andare, meaning the act of going or the journey outward from a starting point. In everyday usage, andata refers to the outbound leg of a trip or sequence, as opposed to the return leg.

In sports, andata designates the first match played in a two-legged competition, with the return leg called the ritorno. The overall result is typically determined by the aggregate score across both legs, and many competitions apply tiebreakers such as away goals, extra time, or penalties if needed.

In travel and commerce, the term appears in phrases describing travel tickets: a one-way ticket is il biglietto di andata, and a round-trip ticket is andata e ritorno. The word also appears in broader contexts to emphasize the initial portion of a journey, such as viaggi di andata in planning discussions.

Etymology-wise, andata comes from the verb andare, meaning to go; the form reflects a completed action or the result of going. While primarily used in Italian, the concept of an outbound portion versus a return portion exists in many languages and is often mirrored by equivalent terms in sporting and travel contexts.

See also: ritorno, biglietto di andata, viaggio.