dintento

Dintento, written in Italian as d'intento, is an expression that means on purpose or intentionally. It signals that an action was performed with deliberate aim or volition, rather than by accident. The phrase appears most often in literary, formal, or legal contexts; in everyday speech, speakers typically use apposta or di proposito to express the same idea.

Etymology and form: The expression comes from the preposition di combined with the noun intento (from Latin intentus, meaning directed or aimed). The contraction to d'intento is a common Italian phonetic feature, and the phrase can function before a verb or as part of a larger predicate. Examples include constructions like "ha chiuso la porta d'intento" or "l'ha fatto d'intento."

Usage: D'intento can modify verbs or whole clauses to emphasize deliberate action, as in "un'azione d'intento" (a deliberate action). In contemporary Italian, the form is regarded as somewhat formal or archaic, and more colloquial alternatives such as di proposito or apposta are often preferred in everyday language. It is more likely to appear in narrative prose, formal writing, or historical/legal texts.

See also: Intenzione (intention) and intenzionalità (intentionality) are related linguistic and semantic concepts that describe purpose or deliberate mental states underlying actions.