apprese

Apprese is a verb form in Italian. It is the passato remoto, or simple past, third-person singular form of the verb apprendere, meaning to learn or to acquire knowledge. In contemporary Italian, this form is largely literary or archaic and is chiefly found in historical narratives, classical literature, or formal writings rather than in everyday speech. In ordinary usage, speakers would typically use ha appreso (present perfect) or the simple past imparò.

The verb apprendere itself is related to the idea of grasping or understanding, and its etymology traces back to Latin adprehendere or apprehendere, meaning to seize or grasp. The development from Latin to Italian preserved the semantic sense of acquiring knowledge as a form of grasping information.

Apprese should not be confused with the past participle appreso, which is used with the auxiliary essere or avere to form compound tenses such as ha appreso. The two forms occupy different tenses and registers: appreso is common in modern speech and writing, while apprese appears mainly in literary or historical contexts.

Example: In a classical novel, the character apprese la lezione in modo definitivo, a quality later described with a more contemporary phrasing as ha appreso una lezione preziosa. For current usage, alternatives like imparare, imparare a conoscere, or avere appreso are more typical.

See also: apprendere, apprendistato, apprendimento.