Most people – with perhaps the exception of my minimalistic father who only ever travels with a small bag – pack their belongings inside a valigia (feminine, plural: valige or valigie) when they go on holiday. The word derives from the Latin valisia, which possibly came from the Gaulish *valisia meaning leather bag. Some verbs you'll frequently see paired with valigia … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Valigia (suitcase)
Nouns
Italian Word of the Day: Soprammobile (knick-knack / ornament)
A blanket term for any decorative or artistic object kept on a shelf or piece of furniture, regardless of its value, is soprammobile (masculine, plural: soprammobili) in Italian. Some possible translations in English are knick-knack, shelf ornament or decorative piece. /so·pram·mò·bi·le/ It is a combination of two words: sopra meaning on top of or above and mobile meaning furniture or … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Soprammobile (knick-knack / ornament)
Italian Word of the Day: Gennaio (January)
January, or gennaio in Italian, is the month that marks the beginning of the new year. Despite the days being short and the weather cold, it is a wonderful time to visit Northern Italy if you enjoy skiing and hiking in the mountains. Gennaio is the first month (primo mese) of the year according to the Julian and Gregorian calendars and it consists of 31 days (trentun giorni). As is the case … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Gennaio (January)
Italian Word of the Day: Vita (life)
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)
Italian Word of the Day: Figlio (son / child)
Figlio is the word for son in Italian. It derives from the Latin filius and is related to words such as femmina (female) and fecondo (fertile). It can also refer more generically to a child if the sex is unknown (as in the case of an unborn child for example). The plural figli can mean either sons when talking about multiple male children or children when talking about a mixed group of sons … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Figlio (son / child)
Italian Word of the Day: Capolavoro (masterpiece)
The word for masterpiece or best work in Italian is capolavoro (masculine, plural: capolavori). It is the combination of the words capo (head / extremity) and lavoro (work / job). Traditionally capolavoro refers to the very best piece of work by an artist or a writer, or of a particular era or style. Some examples of famous capolavori include: La Mona Lisa, il capolavoro di Leonardo da … [Read more...] about Italian Word of the Day: Capolavoro (masterpiece)