The Italian word for life is vita (feminine, plural: vite). It shares the same root as the English words vital and vitamin, which is the Latin vita of the same spelling and meaning. In almost every sense of the word, it mirrors its English equivalent barring a few exceptions. For starters, it can refer, not only to (1) the condition that distinguishes plants and animals from inorganic … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Vita (life)
Natural elements
Italian Word of the Day: Perla (pearl)
The Italian word for pearl is the similar sounding perla (feminine, plural: perle). It is thought that both derive from the Latin perna (leg), so called for the leg-of-mutton shape of the mollusk shells from which they originate. Pearls broadly fall into three categories: natural pearls (perle naturali / vere), cultured pearls (perle coltivate) and imitation pearls (perle finte). Natural … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Perla (pearl)
Italian Word of the Day: Onda (wave)
As I sit here writing this word of the day, I am looking out over the sea (mare), soaking in the sound and smell of the waves crashing against the shore. The Italian word for this phenomenon is onda (feminine, plural: onde), which derives from the Latin unda. Below are a few useful verbs that are often used when describing the interplay between waves and the shore (riva) or rocks (scogli) in … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Onda (wave)
Italian Word of the Day: Diamante (diamond)
The Italian word for diamond is diamante (masculine, plural: diamanti). Both the Italian and English words can be traced back to the Latin diamas, which in turn comes from the Greek adamans meaning 'untameable' or 'invincible'. Natural diamonds (diamanti naturali) are extracted from the depths of the Earth whereas synthetic diamonds (diamanti sintetici) are produced in a laboratory. No matter … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Diamante (diamond)
Italian Word of the Day: Margherita (daisy)
The word for daisy in Italian is margherita (feminine, plural: margherite). It derives from the Greek margaritis but entered the language via the Latin margarita. Although many flowers (fiori) belong to the margherita family, the two that are considered the archetypal species of that name are the margherita diploide (oxeye daisy) and margheritina comune (common daisy). Both are characterised … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Margherita (daisy)
Italian Word of the Day: Alba (dawn / sunrise)
Although the word alba (feminine, plural: albe) in Italian can translate as either dawn or sunrise in English, it is technically closer in meaning to the former because it denotes the first appearance of light in the sky as night transitions to day. It comes from the Latin alba, which in turn derives from the adjective albus meaning white. Some possible synonyms for alba include: lo … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Alba (dawn / sunrise)