premuto

Premuto is the Italian past participle of the verb premere, meaning to press or push. It is used to form compound tenses with avere, as in ho premuto il pulsante or ho premuto le chiavi. Generally the participle does not agree with the subject when used with avere, but it may agree with a preceding direct object: Le ho premute (I pressed them), where premute is feminine plural to match the preceding le.

In addition to its verbal use, premuto functions as an adjective meaning “pressed” or “pushed.” As an adjective, it agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies: il tasto premuto (the pressed key), la chiave premuta (the pressed key), i tasti premuti (the pressed keys), le chiavi premute (the pressed keys). It can also appear in passive-like constructions with essere, for example, Il pulsante è premuto (The button is pressed).

Etymology and usage: premuto derives from the Latin premere, meaning to press. In standard Italian, it is a common form in everyday language, technical writing, and user instructions that describe actions involving pressing or pushing a button, key, or switch. The form provides a concise way to indicate both completed actions and resulting states.

See also: premere, pressionare.