impegare

Impegare is an Italian verb of the first conjugation (ending in -are) that carries several related meanings linked to binding a person or thing to a task, obligation, or use. The main senses are to engage or involve someone in an activity; to occupy or consume time or resources; and to obligate or bind parties by a contract or pledge. In financial contexts it can also mean to earmark funds or to pledge an asset as security for a loan.

In everyday Italian, impegnare expresses active involvement or occupation. For example, si è impegnato in un nuovo incarico means he has been assigned to a new task, while Questo lavoro mi impegna molto means this work keeps me very busy. In legal or financial language, si dice che il contratto impegna le parti (the contract binds the parties) and che lo Stato ha impegnato fondi per un programma (funds have been allocated). Impegnare un bene translates as pledging or mortgaging a property as collateral.

The reflexive form impegnarsi means to commit oneself to a goal or duty, as in Mi impegno a terminare il lavoro. The noun impegno denotes a commitment or obligation, often used to describe duties, plans, or responsibilities. Impegnare is distinct from impiegare (to employ) and from the noun impegno; correct usage depends on the transitive object and the context, particularly in administrative, legal, or financial registers.

Etymology traces impegnare to Latin impignāre, meaning to pledge as security, from pignus “pledge.” This historical sense underpins its modern meanings related to binding obligations and allocated resources.