joozĕpˈpā märkäntôˈnyō bärĕtˈtē, 1719–89, Italian writer and lexicographer. Baretti held various official positions in several Italian cities while making regular contributions to periodicals. In 1751 he went to London, where he was active in literary and cultural circles and where he wrote an Italian grammar and a biographical dictionary of Italian authors. His Dictionary of the English and Italian Languages (1760) remained the best of its kind until the 20th cent. Returning to Italy in 1760, Baretti published a bi-monthly iconoclastic review of books, La Frusta letteraria [the literary scourge]. The Venetian government eventually suppressed the journal, and Baretti returned to London, where he published amusing and perceptive descriptions of his travels. He is considered largely responsible for the popularity of Italian literature in England in the 18th cent.

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