indossato

Indossato is the past participle of the Italian verb indossare, which means to wear or to put on clothing or accessories. It functions in two main ways: as part of verb tenses formed with the auxiliary avere, and as an adjective describing something that is worn.

As a participle in compound tenses, indossato agrees with the auxiliary subject only in the sense of pronoun placement when the object precedes the verb. In standard usage: Ho indossato una giacca. L’ho indossata. When used as a simple adjective, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: un indossato, una indossata, gli indossati, le indossate.

Usage and nuances: indossare covers clothing and accessories such as shirts, coats, shoes, belts, and masks. It can also appear in more formal or descriptive contexts to indicate what someone wore at a given time, e.g., “gli indumenti indossati dai partecipanti.” In everyday contrast, calzare is typically used for footwear, while portare is a broader synonym for wearing or carrying.

Etymology: the form indossato derives from the prefix in- combined with a root related to placing or laying on the body, a development common in Romance languages to express putting on clothing. The exact historical lineage traces through Italian formation of verbs denoting donning garments.

See also: indossare, portare, calzare.

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