The Italian word for that pesky insect whose high-pitched buzzing is enough to drive even the most patient of people to the brink of madness is zanzara (mosquito). It comes from the late Latin zinzala which has onomatopoeic origins. /ẓan·ẓà·ra/ Zanzara is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: la …
Coccinella is the word for ladybug (US) or ladybird (UK) in Italian. It derives from the Latin coccinus, which in turn comes from the Greek kókkinos, meaning ‘scarlet red colour’. It is a feminine noun whose plural form is coccinelle. The definite and indefinite articles it takes are as follows: la coccinellathe ladybuguna coccinellaa ladybug …
The Italian word serpente (snake) should be very easy to remember for English speakers, as it sounds and looks just like the synonym serpent. Serpente is a masculine noun whose plural form is serpenti. It takes the following definite and indefinite articles: il serpentethe snakeun serpentea snake i serpentithe snakesdei serpenti(some) snakes Here are a …
Lumaca is the name in Italian for all terrestrial (and sometimes marine) pulmonate gastropods that are either devoid of a shell, or carry a shell that isn’t visible to the naked eye. The English word for these creatures is slug. It is a feminine noun whose plural form is lumache, and takes the following definite …
The Italian word for eagle is aquila. Both the Italian and English terms share the same origin, which is the Latin aquila. aquila eagle Because aquila is a feminine noun that starts with a vowel, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: l’aquilathe eagleun’aquilaan eagle le aquilethe eaglesdelle aquile(some) eagles Two of the most …
I spent most of my early life living in big cities, but for the past seven years, I’ve had the immense privilege of being able to live by the mare (sea). There is nothing quite like breathing in the fresh salty air and falling asleep to the sound of the waves and the gabbiani (seagulls)! …