attese

Attese is a term used in Italian with multiple grammatical roles. It is the feminine plural form of the adjective atteso, meaning "expected" or "anticipated," and is used to describe feminine plural nouns (risposte attese, condizioni attese). It can also be the plural of the noun attesa, meaning the act of waiting or the state of expectation, used to refer to multiple instances of waiting or expectation (le attese).

Etymology and origins: both the adjective and the noun derive from the verb attendere, to wait for or to expect, itself from Latin ad tendere. The word therefore carries a core sense of watching forward toward a hoped-for outcome.

Grammatical notes: attese agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies when used as an adjective. The masculine singular is atteso, the feminine singular is attesa, and the masculine plural is attesi. When used as a noun, attesa is the base form, with attese as its feminine plural. In modern Italian, attese as a noun commonly expresses waiting or anticipation, while as an adjective it most often appears after the noun it modifies (risposte attese).

Usage and contexts: attese appears in formal, literary, and journalistic contexts to discuss anticipated results, planned events, or expectations. It can convey both practical anticipation (project deadlines, outcomes) and more existential or rhetorical waiting in literary texts.

See also: attendere, atteso, attesa.