When I was a child, I would always look forward to Saturday mornings, as that was the day I’d receive a dollar from my dad to put towards whatever toy I was hankering after at the time. In Italian, the word for pocket money or allowance is paghetta (feminine, plural: paghette). Paghetta is the diminutive …
The word for cherry in Italian is ciliegia (feminine). According to Treccani, the proper plural form is ciliegie, but up until the middle of the last century, the spelling ciliege was also fairly widespread. It comes from the Latin ceresia, which in turn derives from the Greek κερασος. The word for cherry tree is formed …
The word fruscio (masculine) in Italian is a noun that usually describes the following kinds of subdued sounds: robes swishing flowing water of a stream or river leaves rustling in the wind feet walking along the ground snakes rustling in the grass In most cases, it equates in meaning to the words rustle or rustling …
The Italian word for blanket is coperta (feminine, plural: coperte). It derives from the past participle of the verb coprire (to cover) which is coperto (covered). There are many different kinds of blankets, including: coperta di lana = wool blanket coperta di pile* = fleece blanket coperta di seta = silk blanket coperta di cotone …
The word for squid in Italian is the masculine noun calamaro. Technically speaking, calamaro is actually the term for the European squid but in everyday Italian, it has come to refer to the entire squid family. If this word sounds familiar, that’s because in English, we use the plural form calamari to refer to squid …
The word pappa (feminine, plural: pappe) in Italian traditionally refers to a thick minestra (soup) cooked in water, broth or milk, containing bread or semolina. It is used as food for newly weaned babies or for adults who have difficulty chewing. These days, pappa refers more broadly to any dish with a mushy texture, including …