The Italian word for life is vita (feminine, plural: vite). It shares the same root as the English words vital and vitamin, which is the Latin vita of the same spelling and meaning. In almost every sense of the word, it mirrors its English equivalent barring a few exceptions. For starters, it can refer, not only to (1) the condition that distinguishes plants and animals from inorganic … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Vita (life)
Italian Word of the Day
Italian Word of the Day: Figlio (son / child)
Figlio is the word for son in Italian. It derives from the Latin filius and is related to words such as femmina (female) and fecondo (fertile). It can also refer more generically to a child if the sex is unknown (as in the case of an unborn child for example). The plural figli can mean either sons when talking about multiple male children or children when talking about a mixed group of sons … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Figlio (son / child)
Italian Word of the Day: Intrippare (to stuff oneself / to obsess)
Last night at the dinner table, our six month old son - who usually has the attention span of a goldfish - spent the entire duration of our meal fixated on a stuffed toy horse, analysing every hoof, hair and marking on its colourful body. To describe this kind of behaviour, there is a great verb in Italian: intrippare. Now if you look the verb up in authoritative dictionaries like … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Intrippare (to stuff oneself / to obsess)
Italian Word of the Day: Capolavoro (masterpiece)
The word for masterpiece or best work in Italian is capolavoro (masculine, plural: capolavori). It is the combination of the words capo (head / extremity) and lavoro (work / job). Traditionally capolavoro refers to the very best piece of work by an artist or a writer, or of a particular era or style. Some examples of famous capolavori include: La Mona Lisa, il capolavoro di Leonardo da … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Capolavoro (masterpiece)
Italian Word of the Day: Spicciolo (loose change)
Spicciolo (masculine, plural spiccioli) is the word for loose / spare / small change in Italian. It derives from the verb spicciolare which means to pick off or to change (a sum of money) into (a different currency or denomination). Hai qualche spicciolo da darmi? Do you have any spare change you can give me? Mi dispiace, non ho spiccioli da darti. I'm sorry, I don't have any … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Spicciolo (loose change)
Italian Word of the Day: Senno di poi (hindsight)
Senno di poi is how you would say hindsight in Italian. As in English, it refers to the ability to evaluate or comprehend an event, but only after it has happened. Senno (masculine) means judgement / sense / wisdom, whereas poi is the word for then / later on / after, so the expression literally translates as after-wisdom. Col senno di poi, saremmo potuti rimanere un giorno in più. In … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Senno di poi (hindsight)