usufruire

Usufruire is an Italian verb meaning to use and enjoy something and to derive benefit from it. In everyday language it can indicate taking advantage of a resource, a service, or an opportunity, often with the nuance of obtaining personal benefit from it.

In legal and property contexts, the term is closely associated with the real right of usufrutto (usufruct). A usufrutto grants a person (the usufruttuario) the right to use a property and to collect its fruits (for example rent or crops) while ownership remains with another person (the nudo proprietario). The usufruttuario may ordinarily live in or use the property and may exploit its assets, but must preserve the property's substance and carry ordinary maintenance; upon termination, the property returns to the owner.

Usage patterns include phrases such as usufruire di un bene (to use and derive benefit from a good) and concedere l’usufrutto (to grant such a right). The term is common in civil law, inheritance planning, and real estate transactions, where the distinction between uso, frutto, and usufrutto is important.

Etymology and related terms: usufruire derives from Latin usus and fructus, through historical legal language. Related terms include usufrutto (the right itself), usufruttuario (the holder of the right), and uso e godimento (use and enjoyment). In everyday language, fruire is sometimes used to mean enjoying, but the legal concept of usufrutto is distinct and formal.