The word for a city in Italian is città. It is derived from the Latin civitatem, a derivative of civis meaning “citizen“. It generally refers to any human settlement of considerable size with streets, public services, and a local administration. Because it is an invariable feminine noun, the plural form is the same as the …
Do you know someone who sits around all day doing nothing? Then you could call him or her a perdigiorno in Italian! Perdigiorno, which is an invariable noun made up of the words perdere (to lose / to miss / to waste) and giorno (day), is used to describe both men and women who avoid …
Automobile is one of many terms for car in Italian. Like its English cognate, it entered the language via the French automobile, which comprises two words: auto (‘self’) and mobile (‘mobile’). Being a feminine noun that begins with a vowel, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Because it is a relatively formal word, …
Animale, the word for animal in Italian, is identical to its English cognate, barring the addition of a word-final e. Both words ultimately derive from the Latin animal, which is based on animalis (‘having breath’). It is a masculine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: As in English, animale in Italian can …
The adjective spaventoso in Italian is interesting in that it has either a positive or negative connotation depending on how it is used. In its negative and more traditional sense, it describes anything that causes fright or arouses feelings of terror and bewilderment. Some possible translations including scary, frightening, frightful, terrible, horrible or dreadful. Ieri …
Pennello is the term in Italian for any kind of small brush used for applying paint or dye to a surface. It comes form the Latin penellus, which is the diminutive of penis (‘tail’). Pennello is a masculine noun, and it is used with the following articles: If the brush is designed for an artist, …