approvato

Approvato is the past participle of the Italian verb approvare, meaning to give formal consent or endorsement. It is commonly used as an adjective indicating that something has received approval, such as a document, a proposal, or a decision. As a verb participle, approvato appears in compound tenses with the auxiliary essere or avere, depending on the construction.

Etymology and form: approvato derives from Latin approbāre, from ad- “to” and probāre “to prove, to test,” a development that came to mean to approve or endorse in Italian. The word functions both as a participle and as an adjective, and it can modify a noun directly (documento approvato, bilancio approvato) or appear in predicative constructions after a form of essere (è stato approvato, sono stati approvati).

Usage: In formal and administrative contexts, approvato signals that an authority such as a parliament, council, commission, or supervisor has granted authorization. Examples include: "Il disegno di legge è stato approvato" and "Documento approvato dal consiglio." The related noun is approvazione, referring to the act of approving, while the verb remains approvare. The term can also appear in phrases indicating status, such as "procedura approvata" or "linee guida approvate."

Grammatical notes: When used with avere in compound tenses, the participle approvato generally does not agree with the object (e.g., Ho approvato le modifiche). With essere, the participle agrees with the subject in gender and number (e.g., La proposta è stata approvata; I documenti sono stati approvati). The word thus functions flexibly as both verb participle and adjective within Italian syntax.