obbligatoria

Obbligatoria is the feminine singular form of the Italian adjective obbligatorio, meaning mandatory or obligatory. It describes something that is required by law, regulation, policy, contract, or another rule. The term is widely used in formal and informal language, with common collocations such as educazione obbligatoria (compulsory education), documenti obbligatori (required documents), and misure obbligatorie (mandatory measures). The masculine form is obbligatorio, and the plural forms are obbligatori (masculine) and obbligatorie (feminine).

Etymology and forms: The word derives from Latin obligatorius, from obligare “to bind,” and from the noun obligatio “obligation.” It entered Italian with this sense of binding by rule and is used in a range of contexts to denote something that must be observed or fulfilled.

Usage: Obbligatoria is used to mark requirements in administrative, legal, and procedural contexts, as in campi obbligatori (mandatory fields on forms), scadenza obbligatoria (mandatory deadline), or registrazione obbligatoria (mandatory registration). It is typically contrasted with facoltativo, meaning optional.

Other notes: In related Italian terms, the masculine form obbligatorio and the feminine plural obbligatorie are used alongside obbligatoria to agree with the noun they modify. In music and some specialized uses, related terms like obbligato appear, but obbligatoria primarily functions as a standard descriptive adjective for feminine nouns.