Demordere is a useful verb in Italian that means to give up, to give in, or to throw in the towel. According to Treccani, it is based on the French verb démordre of the same meaning.
The combination of the verb mordere (to bite) and the prefix de- (indicating the removal, separation or estrangement of something), it literally translates as something akin to “to release the bite”.
You will almost always see this verb used in the company of non, an adverb of negation. The common expression Non demordere!, for example, is one way of saying Don’t give up! in Italian.
Dai, non demordere! Sono sicuro che riuscirai a portare a termine il tuo progetto!
Come on, don’t give up! I’m sure you’ll manage to complete your project!
It isn’t unheard of to see it used in a positive sense, however, as in the following example:
Dopo vari tentativi, i ladri hanno deciso di demordere.
After various attempts, the thieves decided to give up.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
