The Italian adjective spietato can be translated into English in various ways, ranging from cruel and ruthless to fierce and cutthroat. spietato ruthless / cutthroat It derives from the noun pietà (pity), to which the prefix s- has been added. This prefix adds a sense of negation or absence, transforming the word to convey the …
Dissestato isn’t the kind of word you will come across in everyday Italian, but for those keen on expanding their vocabulary, it is one worth remembering. Because it is an adjective, the ending changes to correspond with the gender and/or plurality of the subject: First and foremost, it is used to describe things that have …
There are three words I consistently use to describe my three-year-old son in Italian: birichino, monello and today’s word, birbone. birbone When birbone conveys the meaning dirty or underhanded, it almost always appears in the expression (giocare) un tiro birbone (to play a dirty trick). Mi hai giocato un tiro birbone. You played a dirty …
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we want to share an Italian term that describes someone deeply in love: innamorato. It derives from the verbs innamorare (to enchant / make people fall in love with you) and innamorarsi (to fall in love), which in turn are derivatives of the noun amore (love) with the prefix in-. …
Have you ever had to endure a lengthy and convoluted explanation or discussion that left you feeling more confused than when you started? If so, you could aptly describe it with an adjective that’s just as much of a mouthful as the discourse it depicts: arzigogolato. Arzigogolato is an adjective that derives from the verb …
The Italian word used to describe someone who is caring, attentive and thoughtful is premuroso. It derives from the noun premura, meaning attention or care, which in turn comes from the verb premere (which literally means “to press / push” but also has the figurative meaning “to matter / be of importance“). Since it is …