In English, we have two separate terms to describe a cloth bag stuffed with soft material used as a comfortable support. The kind we use to support the head while sleeping or lying down is called a pillow whereas the kind placed on chairs and sofas is called a cushion. In Italian, both are referred …
The word for both clock and watch in Italian is orologio (masculine, plural: orologi). It comes from the Latin horologium which in turn derives from the Greek ὡρολόγιον (hōrológion), a combination of the words ὥρα (ora – hour) and λέγω (dire – to say/tell). If you want to specify that you are talking about a …
The word for garden in Italian is giardino (masculine, plural: giardini). Both come from the French jardin which in turn derives from the Germanic gart or garto. Giardino can refer to any kind of garden, from the small variety (giardinetto) to the stately kinds that surround large houses. Some of the most popular types include: …
The word for bed in Italian is letto (masculine, plural: letti). It derives from the Latin lectus of the same meaning. Amongst the different kinds of beds in existence, some popular options include the letto singolo (single bed), letto matrimoniale / letto doppio (double bed), divano letto (sofa bed) and my all-time favourite as a …
Scodella (feminine, plural: scodelle) is just one of many words in Italian that can translate as bowl. I’ve settled on this particular word because it is the most generic, but don’t worry, I’ll touch upon the others below! In addition to referring to a handleless cup-like bowl, such as the kind used for breakfast cereal, …
Humans have used soap – or sapone (masculine, plural: saponi) in Italian – for washing, bathing and cleaning for millennia, with evidence of soap-like materials existing even in ancient Babylon. Soap that is used for bathing or hand-washing generally comes in two forms: saponetta (bar soap) or sapone liquido (liquid soap). Bisogna strofinare le mani …