Italian Word of the Day: Bruco (caterpillar)

As children, many of us are fascinated with the process by which a bruco (masculine, plural: bruchi) – the Italian word for caterpillar – turns into a butterfly (farfalla).

/ˈbru.ko/
italian word for caterpillar

The story begins with a caterpillar hatching from an egg (uovo). The caterpillar then stuffs itself with leaves, growing fatter and longer until one day, it stops eating, hangs upside down, and forms a cocoon (bozzolo) or chrysalis (crisalide). Within a short time – usually a week or two – the caterpillar transforms into butterfly or moth (falena).

caterpillar on a small brench
Un bruco verde = A green caterpillar

Il bruco è diventato una farfalla.

The caterpillar turned into a butterfly.


By extension, bruco may also refer to larvae of other insects including beetles and worms.

An extremely popular book for kids is Il Piccolo Bruco Maisazio (The Very Hungry Caterpillar). You can listen to the Italian version of the story by watching the YouTube video below.

In the Tuscan dialect, bruco may also refer to a very poor person.


Ethics statement: Below you will find affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

Lingopie (affiliate link) is the Netflix of language learning application that uses real TV shows and movies to help you learn a new language. You can choose a show to watch based on your fluency level, and use the interactive subtitles to get instant translations to help you learn quickly.

Are you interested in improving your Italian in a fun and stress-free manner? Then we highly recommend Serena Capilli's short stories in Italian (affiliate link), designed for beginners, advanced beginners, and lower intermediate learners (A1-B1 CEFR). These stories have been optimised for English speakers in search of a fun, laid-back learning experience! Read our full review here.


Leave a Comment