Especially in theCentral-southern Italybut not only, one of the most used exclamations to express disappointment or opposition about something is “darnit”. Although it is widely spread, the origin of the term is not unique, and there are various theories that have tried to explain its etymology.
According to Treccani, one of the most reliable sources, among the most accredited hypotheses is the one that “damn” derives from a contraction: that of the dialect expression “bad(e) n(e) aggia“, which can be translated into Italian as “bad luck”. In this sentence, “aggia” is equivalent to the present subjunctive of the verb “avere” in the southern dialect, which we would translate into Italian as “to have”. In this sense, the expression would be a bad luck towards someone or something, however less strong than others.
Another theory, accredited byCrusca Academyproposes, in the wake of the first, that “damn” is always a syncopated form, but this time of “evil“, in turn derived from “malanno” and “aggia”, literally “have an ailment”. Once again a wish for misfortune, but with a attenuated intensity, which has made it particularly widespread in everyday use.
A third, less widespread hypothesis is put forward by the Italian linguist and glottologist Massimo Pittau: according to him “damn” could derive from the term “mannaja”, a dialect term Calabrian And Sicilianreferring to the ax used by the executioner for beheadings. In this context, “mannaja a te” would be a wish for a death sentence by decapitation.
If it is true that its origins are linked to curses and wishes of misfortune, “damn” has changed its meaning over time, taking on a more blandso much so that it has become today a common interjection to express simple disappointment or annoyance. More frequently we hear it in expressions such as “damn the misery!” or “damn you!”, but it is not without variations that have their own peculiarities from region to region. For example Naples it is common to hear “damn Bubbà“, referring to a legendary character of the nineteenth-century underworld, used to attribute the blame for unfortunate events to an imaginary figure.
