The word for decoration (or ornament) in Italian is decorazione which, given the shared origin of the two words, shouldn’t be in the least bit difficult for English speakers to remember! The word derives from the Late Latin decoratio(n), which in turn comes from the verb decorare. As a feminine noun, it takes the following …
Today’s word of the day is part of our Italian Christmas Word Advent Calendar series. Each day throughout December, we’ll post a word that is related to the holiday season. Enjoy! Are you a fan of the fluffy white stuff that falls out of the sky close to Christmastime? Well, then you might be keen …
It’s officially December, and you know what that means – we can finally put up our Christmas trees without feeling as if we’re jumping the gun! The word for Christmas tree in Italian is albero di Natale (masculine, plural: alberi di Natale). Albero is the word for tree while Natale is the word for Christmas. …
It is difficult to imagine Italy without conjuring up images of pane (bread), vino (wine), pasta, pizza, and of course, cheese. The generic word for cheese in Italian is formaggio (masculine, plural: formaggi) and as everyone knows, many of the most famous cheeses in the world originate from Italy. In fact, it is estimated that there …
The Italian word for the beautiful blue planet we all call home is la Terra (the Earth). It is normally spelled with a capital T in scientific contexts. Terra La Terra gira intorno al Sole. The Earth revolves around the Sun. Terra in its uncapitalised form (plural: terre) may be used to refer to the …
Vinegar, or aceto as it is known in Italian, has a surprisingly wide variety of industrial and domestic uses due to its mild acidity (acidità). It is a common ingredient in cooking and is also popular as a natural household cleaner (detergente). Spesso uso l’aceto per pulire il lavandino. I often use vinegar to clean the sink. …