Even if you know little to no Italian, it doesn’t take a great leap of the imagination to figure out that equinozio means equinox. Both words refer to the biannual date at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in a day and night of approximately equal length all over the planet. It derives …
Today we’re going to be talking about a very important body part: the ear! Before we begin, it’s important to clarify that there are two forms that derive from the Latin auriculam: the masculine noun orecchio and the feminine noun orecchia. The masculine singular orecchio is the most common form used to indicate the organ …
The word nonostante in Italian is the combination of non (no / not) and ostante (the present participle of the verb ostare meaning to impede). It is used to express a contrast between two things and tends to be more common in writing than in speaking. While normally written as one word these days, the …
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 …
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 …
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 …