The reflexive verb raggomitolarsi is quite evocative as words go. The best word-for-word translation would be to wind oneself up like a ball of yarn but it actually means to curl up. It derives from the noun gomitolo which is the word for a ball of wool or yarn. Il gatto si raggomitolò accanto alla …
In Italy, you’ll often hear people use the single word torcicollo to describe a crick in one’s neck or a stiff neck caused by an injury. It is made up of two words: the verb torcere meaning to twist or to contort, and collo meaning neck. Torcicollo is a masculine noun. The plural is torcicolli. …
The word for belt, or any kind of material typically worn around the waist, is cintura in Italian. It comes from the Latin cinctura, which in turn is a derivative of the verb cingere (to wrap, tie, enclose). Cintura is a feminine noun, and its plural is cinture. la cinturauna cintura le cinturedelle cinture Six …
Demordere is a useful verb in Italian that means to give up, to give in, or to throw in the towel. According to Treccani, it is based on the French verb démordre of the same meaning. The combination of the verb mordere (to bite) and the prefix de- (indicating the removal, separation or estrangement of …
The word for any small bowl-shaped drinking container with a handle is tazza in Italian. Unlike most Italian words which derive from Latin, the origin of the word tazza can be traced back to the Arabic ṭasa. Two possible translations in English are cup and mug. Tazza is a feminine noun. The plural is tazze. …
One word for late in Italian is tardi, which should be very easy to remember as we have the same word in English, albeit spelt with a word-final ‘y’ instead of an ‘i’. Both the Italian and the English tardy can be traced back to the Latin tardus meaning ‘slow’. The expressions essere tardi (lit. …