sollevare

The Italian word "sollevare" is a verb that primarily means "to lift," "to raise," or "to elevate."

Meaning and Usage:

1. To physically lift or raise something:

   • Example: Sollevare una scatola — "To lift a box."
   • In this sense, it refers to the physical action of lifting an object from a lower position to a higher one.

2. To raise or bring up a topic, question, or objection:

   • Example: Sollevare una questione — "To raise an issue."
   • Used figuratively to indicate bringing up concerns, questions, or problems in conversation or debate.

3. To relieve or alleviate (less commonly):

   • Sometimes used in the sense of "relieve," especially in phrases like sollevare dal dovere ("to be relieved from duty").

Parts:

• The verb is derived from the prefix "sol-" (a variant of "sopra," meaning "above") and "levare," meaning "to raise" or "to lift." So, the components indicate an action of lifting upwards.

Synonyms:

• alzare (to raise, to lift)
• levare (to lift, remove)
• sollevare in senso figurato: aggiungere, proporre, suscitare (in the sense of bringing up a topic)
• rimuoverte (in some contexts)

Antonyms:

• abbassare (to lower, to bring down)
• calare (to descend, to fall)
• silenziare (in the sense of NOT raising an issue)

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In summary, sollevare generally involves the action of lifting something physically or figuratively raising a topic, question, or problem.