tolto

Tolto is the past participle of the Italian verb togliere, meaning to remove or take away. In modern Italian, tolto can function as a participle or as an adjective to describe something that has been removed or taken away.

Etymology and form: Tolto derives from the Latin tollere, through the development of togliere in Italian. The participle agrees with gender and number: masculine singular tolto, feminine singular tolta, masculine plural tolti, feminine plural tolte.

Usage: In grammar, tolto appears in compound tenses with avere, as in Ho tolto la polvere dalla tavola (I have removed the dust from the table). The passive voice can express completed removal as La porta è stata tolta (The door has been removed). As an adjective, tolto can modify a noun to indicate that it has already been removed or taken away.

Expressions and notes: Tolto is also found in fixed expressions related to removing obstacles or people from a path, notably togliere di mezzo, which conveys the sense of getting rid of something or someone. In such constructions, tolto may appear in past participle form in the surrounding verbal structure, for example è stato tolto di mezzo (has been taken out of the way). In Italian spelling and grammar, tolto agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies when used as an adjective.

See also: togliere, tollere.