Amato is an adjective in Italian that means beloved or loved. It is the past participle of the verb amare (to love). Because it is an adjective, the ending must match the gender and number of the subject in question: This particular adjective can appear before or after the subject it modifies – which may …
A wonderful Italian word I love throwing into conversation at every opportunity is intramontabile (plural: intramontabili) which is an adjective meaning timeless, everlasting, enduring, immortal or evergreen. Note that the e/i ending (singular/plural) doesn’t change according to the gender of the noun. It derives from the verb tramontare meaning to set (as in the setting …
One way of translating the word people in Italian is gente (feminine, plural: genti). Although it is almost always used in the singular form, the plural le genti can be seen in literature or when referring to a population (e.g. le genti dell’antica Roma = the people of ancient Rome). It derives from the Latin …
Crepapelle, or more specifically a crepapelle, is one of those Italian expressions that does not have a direct English equivalent. Comprising the words crepare (to crack / to die) and pelle (skin), it describes various actions that are carried out to the point of bursting or to the breaking point. The best way to understand …
An adjective that describes something in poor condition due to neglect or lack of care is trasandato (masculine). The feminine equivalent is trasandata and their respective plurals are trasandati and trasandate. It is the past participle of the obsolete verb trasandare, which is a combination of the prefix tra(n)s-, meaning across or beyond, and the …
One way of saying astonished, speechless or shocked in Italian is attonito. Being an adjective, it also has a feminine form (attonita), as well as masculine and feminine plural forms (attoniti and attonite). The word has an interesting origin according to Treccani. It comes from the Latin attonitus which itself is a derivative of the …