The Italian word for apple is mela (feminine, plural: mele) and the tree upon which they grow is called melo. Both words derive from the Latin word “mālum” meaning “any tree-fruit fleshy on the outside and having a kernel within.” (Lewis & Short Latin Dictionary) Today it forms the basis of many fruit names in …
The word for night in Italian is notte (feminine, plural: notti). Even if you’ve only been studying Italian for a few short weeks, you will certainly have encountered the greeting buona notte which means good night. Buona notte Alice, e grazie ancora di tutto! Good night, Alice, and thanks again for everything! Occasionally, Italians use …
Have you got a romantic side to you? If so, let’s take a look at the word for heart in Italian, which is cuore (masculine, plural: cuori). As in English, the word cuore can refer to the muscular organ that pumps blood around the body, the symbol ♥ represented by two equal curves meeting at …
Today is the first day of February (il primo giorno di febbraio) and that means the days are getting longer and winter is finally on its way out! 🙂 Febbraio is the second month (secondo mese) of the year according to the Julian and Gregorian calendars. As is the case with all months of the …
The room in the house where all the cooking is done is called a cucina (feminine, plural: cucine) in Italian. It is closely related to the verb cucinare which, as you’ve probably guessed, means to cook. Ho cucinato un pollo in cucina oggi. I cooked a chicken in the kitchen today. When talking about the layout of …
Just as in English, the word pesce (masculine, plural: pesci) can refer to the living aquatic animal, as well as any kind of culinary dish made out of the animal. If this word sounds familiar, it is because it shares the same etymological origin as the English word pescatarian (someone who eats fish but not …