importato

Importato is the past participle of the Italian verb importare, meaning to bring goods into a country. When used as an adjective, importato means "imported" and must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.

Etymology and forms: Importato derives from the Latin past participle importatus, through the Italian verb importare. The form follows the regular pattern of Italian past participles ending in -ato for most verbs of this conjugation. Adjective agreement yields importato (masculine singular), importata (feminine singular), importati (masculine plural), and importate (feminine plural).

Usage and examples: Importato is commonly used in commerce, law, and everyday language to describe goods and materials not domestically produced. Examples include: "prodotti importati" (imported products), "auto importate" (imported cars), and "materiali importati dall’estero" (materials imported from abroad). It contrasts with esportato/starred forms such as esportato or esportati, which refer to items sent out of the country.

Morphology and common collocations: As an adjective, importato typically appears before or after the noun it modifies, agreeing in gender and number. Frequent collocations include "beni importati," "prodotti importati," and "servizi importati" (the latter being less common depending on context). The related noun forms include importazione (importation) and importatore (importer).

See also: importazione, importare, esportazione, esportato, esportatore. While related, these terms cover different aspects of cross-border movement and ownership of goods.

Overall, importato is a standard Italian term used to designate goods or materials that originate from outside the domestic market. It remains distinct from related terms by its precise function as the descriptor of origin.