Italian Word of the Day: Odierno (of today, current)

Today we’re going to be looking at odierno, an adjective that you will regularly encounter once you begin reading the advanced texts such as the news or academic papers. It literally means “relevant to the current day, age or era” and in English, it would generally translate as of today, today’s, current or modern. Odierno …

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Italian Word of the Day: Brivido (chill / shiver)

What do a cold wind, a gentle touch, and an extremely emotional song all have in common? They are all capable of giving you brividi! Brivido is the word for shudder, shiver or chill in Italian, but it is often seen in its plural form brividi. Being a masculine noun, it takes the following definite …

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Italian Word of the Day: Spinoso (thorny / prickly)

Lately my two-year-old son has been very keen on discovering the various plants that grow in our local woodland. Although most plants are safe to touch, there are a few thorny fiends that will give you a nasty prick if you aren’t careful! Spinoso is the adjective Italians use when they want to describe something …

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Italian Word of the Day: Clima (climate)

The Italian noun clima means climate. Its origin can be traced back to the late Latin climate-ătis, from the Greek klíma -atos. The term originally denoted a zone of the earth between two lines of latitude, but later began to refer to a region as defined by its atmospheric conditions. Although clima ends in the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Pasticcio (mess / pie)

The Italian word pasticcio is best translated as mess or muddle in English, and as you have probably guessed, it is used to describe a situation or piece of work that is chaotic, disorganised or poorly executed. It is a masculine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Although the origin of …

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Italian Word of the Day: Battibecco (squabble / quarrel)

Battibecco is an Italian word that can be translated to mean quarrel or squabble in English. It is the combination of the verb battere, which means “to hit” or “to beat”, and the masculine noun becco, which means the beak of a bird. Because it is a masculine noun, it takes the following definite and …

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