Italian Word of the Day: Coltello (knife)

The word for knife in Italian is coltello. It comes from the Latin cultellus which in turn is the diminutive form of the word culter (knife). Here are the definite and indefinite articles that must be used with this masculine noun: il coltellothe knife un coltelloa knife i coltellithe knives dei coltelli(some) knives A few …

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Italian Word of the Day: Brina (frost)

As I was taking my son to nursery school early this morning, I noticed him looking at the sidewalk and grass, mesmerised by the shimmering layer of brina (frost / hoarfrost) that had powdered them white overnight. Brina is a feminine noun whose plural form is brine. (Note, however, that the plural form is very …

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Italian Word of the Day: Limpido (clear / limpid)

If you are already familiar with the English adjective limpid, you should have no trouble whatsoever memorising the word limpido in Italian. It comes from the Latin limpidus of the same meaning. Limpido is an adjective and its ending changes depending on the gender and/or plurality. The most common translation for limpido is clear (or …

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Italian Word of the Day: Scervellarsi (to rack one’s brains)

Have you ever found yourself racking your brains trying to find the answer to a problem? Then today’s verb is for you! Scervellarsi (to rack one’s brains) is made up of the noun cervello (brain) and the prefix s- which in this case denotes the absence or loss of something. About the pronunciationThe combination of …

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Italian Word of the Day: Cavatappi (corkscrew / bottle opener)

cover image with the word “cavatappi” and its translation written on a notepad next to a cup of coffee

The Italian word for a corkscrew or bottle opener is cavatappi. It is a compilation of the verb cavare (to remove, to extract) and tappo (cork, stopper). Cavatappi is an invariable masculine noun, which means that it keeps the same form in the singular and plural. In fact, all nouns ending in -i in the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Comportamento (behaviour)

The word comportamento in Italian generally translates as behaviour or conduct in English. It comes from the verbs comportare (to entail) and comportarsi (to behave / react). Comportamento is a masculine noun, whose plural form is comportamenti. il comportamentothe behaviour un comportamentoa behaviour i comportamentithe behaviours dei comportamenti(some) behaviours Some common types of behaviour include: …

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