stremo

See also: stremò

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈstrɛ.mo/
• Rhymes: -ɛmo
• Hyphenation: strè‧mo

Etymology 1

Apheresis of estremo.

Adjective

stremo (feminine strema, masculine plural stremi, feminine plural streme)

1. (archaic) extreme, final

   Synonym: estremo

   • 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XIX”, in Inferno [Hell]‎^[1], lines 28–30; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[2], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     Qual suole il fiammeggiar de le cose unte
     muoversi pur su per la strema buccia,
     tal era lì dai calcagni a le punte.

     Even as the flame of unctuous things is wont to move upon the outer surface only, so likewise was it there from heel to point.

   • 1349–1353, Giovanni Boccaccio, “Giornata quinta – Novella nona”, in Decameron; republished as Aldo Francesco Massera, editor, Il Decameron‎^[3], Bari: Laterza, 1927:

     Egli, con tutto che la sua povertá fosse strema, non s’era ancor tanto avveduto quanto bisogno gli facea che egli avesse fuor d’ordine spese le sue ricchezze

     Despite his extreme poverty, he had not yet realized as much as he needed how much he had spent his money beyond his possibilities

2. (archaic) extended meanings:
   1. small, little

      Synonyms: ridotto, ristretto

      Antonyms: grande, vasto

   2. short

      Synonym: breve

      Antonym: lungo

   3. thin

      Synonym: sottile

      Antonym: spesso

   4. poor

      Synonym: povero

      Antonym: ricco

Derived terms

• stremamente

Noun

stremo m (plural stremi)

1. extremity, extreme

   Synonyms: estremità, termine

   • 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XIII”, in Purgatorio [Purgatory]‎^[4], lines 124–129; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate]‎^[5], 2^nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:

     Pace volli con Dio in su lo stremo
     de la mia vita; e ancor non sarebbe
     lo mio dover per penitenza scemo

     Peace I desired with God at the extreme of my existence, and as yet would not my debt have been by penitence discharged

2. last legs, extreme limit

   essere ridotto allo stremo (delle forze)

   to be on one's last legs

   (literally, “to be reduced to the extreme (of one's strength)”)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

stremo

1. first-person singular present indicative of stremare

Further reading

• stremo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams

• mostre, smorte, termos