Italian Word of the Day: Agosto (August)

Italian word "agosto"

One of the hottest months of the year in the northern hemisphere is August, which is known as agosto in Italian. agosto August Agosto is the eight month (ottavo mese) of the year according to the Julian and Gregorian calendars and it is made up of 31 days (trentun giorni). As is the case with …

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Italian Word of the Day: Spazio (space)

The English word space carries various meanings, and the good news for learners is that the Italian equivalent, spazio, covers nearly all of these meanings as well. spazio space Before we dive in, let’s quickly explore its etymology. Spazio derives from the Latin spatium, a word of uncertain origin that encompasses the same meanings as …

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Italian Word of the Day: Dunque (so / then / therefore / well)

Today we’re going to be investigating a lovely word that every learner of Italian should master – dunque – which translates to so, then, therefore or well depending on the surrounding context. dunque so / then / therefore / well Dunque comes from the Vulgar Latin *dunquam, which is a cross of the Vulgar Latin …

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Italian Word of the Day: Oibò (oh / oh my / darn)

Today we’re going to be looking at the short yet fun word oibò! According to Treccani, oibò (also written ohibò with an “h”), is an exclamation of onomatopoeic origin used to express a range of emotions, including indignation, nausea, contempt, surprise, and disapproval. Some possible translations include oh, well, oh my, darn and my goodness. …

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Italian Word of the Day: Barba (beard)

Whether you love them or hate them, many men choose to grow a beard at some point in their lives. In Italian, the word for this type of peli del volto (facial hair) is barba. barba beard The word comes from the Latin barba of the same spelling and meaning. Barba is a feminine noun, …

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Italian Word of the Day: Ruvido (rough / uneven)

If you want to describe a surface that is rough or uneven rather than smooth (liscio), you can use the adjective ruvido. ruvido rough / uneven Since ruvido is an adjective, it has masculine, feminine and plural forms: The word is derived from the Vulgar Latin *ru(g)ĭdum, is a derivative of ruga, meaning wrinkle. Questo …

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