punito

Punito is the Italian past participle of the verb punire, meaning to punish. It functions as an adjective meaning “punished” and appears in compound tenses with the auxiliary verbs avere or essere, as well as in passive constructions with essere.

Etymology and related forms: Punito derives from the verb punire, which comes from Latin punire (to punish). The masculine singular form is punito; the feminine singular is punita, the masculine plural puniti, and the feminine plural punite. When used as a predicate adjective or in passive voice with essere, the participle agrees in gender and number with the subject (e.g., è punito, è punita, sono puniti, sono punite).

Usage: As a participle, punito is used in the present perfect and other compound tenses with avere (ho punito) or essere (è stato punito). It also appears in passive or semi-passive constructions: Il ladro è stato punito dalla giustizia (The thief has been punished by justice). In legal and moral contexts, punito commonly describes someone who has received punishment or sanction, or it can describe conduct that is punishable: Questo comportamento è punito dalla legge (This behavior is punishable by law).

Semantics and synonyms: Punito is closely related to punizione (the noun for punishment) and to other verbs meaning sanctioning or chastising, such as sanzionare or castigare, which may be used in more formal or legal registers.

Cross-language notes: In Spanish, a cognate verb is castigar with the past participle castigado; in French, punir yields puni. Despite similarities, each language uses its own participial forms and agreement rules.

See also: punire, punizione, diritto penale.