Italian Word of the Day: Basilico (basil)

A plant whose sweet-smelling leaves are often used as a herb in Italian cooking is basilico (masculine, plural basilichi), which is the word for basil. In the Tuscan dialect, it is pronounced with a double s (bassilico). basilico It must not be confused with the similar sounding basilica, which is the name given to certain …

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Italian Word of the Day: Curioso (curious)

The word for curious in Italian is curioso. It derives from the Latin curiosus meaning careful or diligent. Because it is an adjective, the ending of curioso changes depending on whether you are talking about a solitary male (curioso), a solitary female (curiosa), a group of males or a mixed group (curiosi) or a group …

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Italian Word of the Day: Borsa (bag)

One possible translation for the word bag in Italian is borsa (feminine, plural: borse)*. *Note: Another word that translates as bag in Italian, along with its related forms sacchetto and sacca, is sacco. Sacco generally denotes any large sack, such as a sack of potatoes (sacco di patate) or a trash bag (sacco della spazzatura), …

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Italian Word of the Day: Gola (throat)

The word for throat in Italian is gola (feminine, plural: gole). It derives from the Latin gula. One of the telltale symptoms of a cold is a mal di gola (sore throat), otherwise known as a gola infiammata (lit: an inflamed throat). In some cases, you may also experience a gola secca (dry throat) or …

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Italian Word of the Day: Girasole (sunflower)

The sunflower, known as a girasole (masculine, plural: girasoli) in Italian, is a beautiful tall plant of the daisy family with very large golden-rayed flowers. The Italian name is a combination of the verb girare (to turn, spin) and sole (sun). The name refers to the heliotropic behaviour of the flower (it turns throughout the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Impiccio (mess / hindrance)

Italian word "impiccio"

While watching the Italian Netflix drama Suburra, I couldn’t help but notice how many times the word impiccio (masculine, plural: impicci) came up in conversation, probably because the main characters always seem to be in a mafia-related bind of some sort! Impiccio can be translated in many ways in English including hindrance, mess, nuisance, trouble …

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