The word for the act of trespassing is sconfinamento. It is the combination of the verb sconfinare (meaning to trespass or to cross over) and the suffix -mento (-ment), which forms nouns that represent the action of a related verb. Sconfinamento is masculine, and the plural is sconfinamenti. lo sconfinamento uno sconfinamento gli sconfinamenti degli …
Broncio is an evocative noun in Italian that means pout or sulky expression. The exact origin of broncio remains somewhat contested. Treccani suggests that it may come from the late Latin brunchus meaning ‘snout’ or ‘face’, whereas Devoto-Oli states that it derives from the ancient French bronchier (meaning ‘vacillate’) which in turn comes from bronche …
The word for a pedantic person who raises questions and objections, and causes difficulties or problems over things of little importance is piantagrane in Italian. Some possible translations in English include troublemaker, fault-finder and nitpicker. Piantagrane is the combination of the verb piantare (to plant) and the noun grana, which in addition to meaning ‘grain‘ …
A tormentone is an expression, catchphrase, buzzword, meme, or piece of music that is repeated ad nauseam via the mass media or word of mouth, gaining rapid popularity and widespread diffusion as a result. Tormentone is a masculine noun, and the plural form is tormentoni. il tormentone un tormentone i tormentoni dei tormentoni It derives from …
Pendolare is an interesting Italian word in that it can be classified as a noun, verb or adjective. Let’s begin by looking at its usage as a verb, as doing so will help us understand the meaning behind the noun and adjective. Pendolare is a regular -are verb that means to oscillate, to swing, or …
An adverb in Italian that means more or less, approximately or roughly is grossomodo. It may also be written as two words – grosso modo – with grosso meaning large and modo meaning way. Siamo grossomodo a metà strada. We’re approximately halfway there. Grossomodo ci saranno quaranta persone questa sera. There will be more or …