Italian Word of the Day: Equinozio (equinox)

Even if you know little to no Italian, it doesn’t take a great leap of the imagination to figure out that equinozio means equinox. Both words refer to the biannual date at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, resulting in a day and night of approximately equal length all over the planet. It derives …

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Italian Word of the Day: Orecchio (ear)

Today we’re going to be talking about a very important body part: the ear! Before we begin, it’s important to clarify that there are two forms that derive from the Latin auriculam: the masculine noun orecchio and the feminine noun orecchia. The masculine singular orecchio is the most common form used to indicate the organ …

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Italian Word of the Day: Brivido (chill / shiver)

What do a cold wind, a gentle touch, and an extremely emotional song all have in common? They are all capable of giving you brividi! Brivido is the word for shudder, shiver or chill in Italian, but it is often seen in its plural form brividi. Being a masculine noun, it takes the following definite …

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Italian Word of the Day: Clima (climate)

The Italian noun clima means climate. Its origin can be traced back to the late Latin climate-ătis, from the Greek klíma -atos. The term originally denoted a zone of the earth between two lines of latitude, but later began to refer to a region as defined by its atmospheric conditions. Although clima ends in the …

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Italian Word of the Day: Pasticcio (mess / pie)

The Italian word pasticcio is best translated as mess or muddle in English, and as you have probably guessed, it is used to describe a situation or piece of work that is chaotic, disorganised or poorly executed. It is a masculine noun, so it takes the following definite and indefinite articles: Although the origin of …

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Italian Word of the Day: Battibecco (squabble / quarrel)

Battibecco is an Italian word that can be translated to mean quarrel or squabble in English. It is the combination of the verb battere, which means “to hit” or “to beat”, and the masculine noun becco, which means the beak of a bird. Because it is a masculine noun, it takes the following definite and …

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