reggere

Reggere is an Italian verb with several related senses centered on support, endurance, and management. In a physical sense, it means to hold up or bear the weight of something: a pillar regge the arch, or a beam regge the roof. It also denotes resisting or withstanding pressure or impact: reggere il peso, reggere un urto, reggere una sollecitazione.

In figurative use, reggere can mean to endure or cope with a situation or challenge: reggere una prova, reggere il confronto, reggere una crisi. It can express capability or stability under stress, as in someone who regge bene in difficoltà. The reflexive form reggersi is used for standing or relying on something or oneself: le colonne si reggono da sole; la casa si regge sui montanti.

Etymology traces reggere to Latin regere, with semantic development from guiding or directing to supporting or bearing weight. The verb is common across registers and forms a wide range of idioms and phrasal expressions.

Conjugation notes: in the present indicative the forms are reggo, reggi, regge, reggiamo, reggete, reggono. The imperfect is reggevo, reggevi, reggeva, reggevamo, reggevate, reggevano. The gerund is reggendo, and the present participle is reggente. The passato prossimo uses the irregular past participle retto (ho retto). These forms accommodate both physical and figurative meanings.

See also: sostenere, mantenere.