Italian Word of the Day: Pelliccia (fur / pelt)

The Italian word for the fur or pelt of an animal is pelliccia. It derives from the late Latin pellicius (“of skin”), which in turn is a derivative of pellis (skin). pelliccia fur Pelliccia is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Similar to the English word, pelliccia can refer …

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Italian Word of the Day: Spinta (push / incentive)

The Italian word spinta quite literally means push in English. It is the feminine form of spinto (pushed, compelled), which in turn comes from the verb spingere (to push). spinta push / incentive Because spinta is feminine, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Two of the most common verbs you will see used …

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Italian Word of the Day: Storia (history / story)

Storia is a multifaceted word in Italian that means so much more than its English cognate, story. Let’s find out more about it now! Storia is a feminine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Arguably the most common translation for storia is history, not story as one might expect. Storia can …

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Italian Word of the Day: Arroventato (red-hot / scorching)

I happened to hear today’s word while listening to my favourite Italian radio station, Radio Italia, where they were discussing the unusually hot temperatures that have gripped Italy over the past week. In some places in the south, the mercury has soared past the 40°C / 104°F mark. Arroventato is an adjective that translates as red-hot …

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Italian Word of the Day: Basta (enough / stop)

We recently conducted a survey on our Facebook group, asking them which words their parents used with them most frequently. Unsurprisingly, the short yet powerful word “basta” ranked very close to the top of the list. Basta, when used as an interjection, has a couple of primary translations in English. The first is (that’s) enough, …

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Italian Word of the Day: Nemico (enemy / opponent)

The opposite of a friend, or amico, in Italian is a nemico (enemy). It should be fairly easy to remember as it shares the same origin as the English word nemesis. Nemico is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: But of course, in the scenario where your worst enemy is …

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