The word sagoma in Italian refers to the profile or shape of an object that has aesthetic or functional importance such as, for example, the architecture of a building, a car or a piece of furniture. Some possible translations include outline, silhouette, contour and profile. It entered the language from the Greek ‘sakoma’ (meaning ‘counterweight’) …
In quanto is a commonly used conjunctive phrase in Italian that translates in numerous ways, including since, as, and because. Non lo chiamo più in quanto non risponde mai al telefono. I don’t call him anymore as he never answers the phone. Less frequently it is followed by che (that) with no change in meaning. …
The adverb carponi (also written as a carponi or the less common carpone) is how you would say on all fours or on one’s hands and knees in Italian. It is probably connected with the Latin carpere which means to swipe or to pilfer. Some common verbs you’ll see used with carponi include: camminare carponi …
If you happen to meet someone who simply doesn’t care about other people’s problems or the issues facing the world, they may be suffering from what is called menefreghismo in Italian (masculine, plural: menefreghismi). Sadly, there isn’t really a word-for-word translation for menefreghismo in English, which is a shame because we could definitely benefit from …
If you can imagine a dog sinking its teeth into your favourite pair of shoes and refusing to let go no matter how hard you pull, you are already halfway to understanding the meaning of the adjective accanito! Accanito itself derives from the word for dog in Italian, which is cane. It is used to …
The word bruciapelo (masculine, invariable) is mostly seen in the expression a bruciapelo which literally means point-blank or at point-blank range. It is formed of two words: the verb bruciare (to burn) and the noun pelo (a single body hair). The idea is that if a gun is shot at very close range, it can …