avvicino

Avvicino is a verb form in Italian. It represents the first-person singular present indicative of the verb avvicinare, meaning I bring closer or I bring nearer. It is a transitive form and is used with a direct object that is being moved toward a target, often with a complement indicating the destination, such as a or a place.

In ordinary usage, avvicino describes the action of bringing something nearer to something else. For example, Io avvicino la sedia al tavolo means I move the chair closer to the table. Because avvicinare is a transitive verb, the subject performs the action on a direct object, with proximity relationships specified by the object and its destination.

To express approaching oneself, Italian typically uses the reflexive form mi avvicino (I approach or I come closer), rather than avvicino alone. The non-reflexive form avvicino thus differs in grammatical function and meaning from the common reflexive usage of avvicinarsi.

Etymology and related terms: avvicinare comes from the same root as vicinus, meaning nearby or neighbor. The related noun for the concept of nearness is vicinanza. The reflexive counterpart avvicinarsi denotes the act of approaching oneself or moving toward a closer position relative to one’s own location.

See also: avvicinarsi, vicinanza, avvicinamento.