Scaramanzia is a particular subset of superstizione (superstition) aimed at averting perceived negative influences associated with people, places, and objects through the use of phrases such as magic spells, gestures, and items like amulets and lucky charms. While these practices vary across cultures and time periods, they are prevalent worldwide, and Italy is no exception. …
The word for the bark that covers a tree is corteccia. The word originates from the Latin corticĕa, the feminine form of the adjective corticĕus, derived from cortex -tĭcis, meaning bark. corteccia bark Here are the definite and indefinite articles you should use with this feminine noun. Note that in its plural form, cortecce, the …
One of my favourite Italian words actually refers to a rather banal household object that we use multiple times throughout the day: the humble rubinetto, which is known as a tap in the UK, a faucet in the US, or a spigot in technical terms. rubinetto tap / faucet The etymology of this word is …
Today we are going to be looking at a useful everyday word that can be classified as both an adjective and a noun: piatto. piatto flat / plate / dish ‘Piatto’ the adjective Used as an adjective, this word translates to flat or level. It is derived from the Latin *plattum, which in turn comes …
My son is currently obsessed with trucks of all sorts, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that one of his favourite words in Italian is guasto. It is used when something, such as a machine or vehicle, stops working as it should. guasto broken / faulty Guasto is the past participle of the verb …
The soft curly hair forming the coat of a sheep, goat or camel is known as wool in English, or lana in Italian. lana wool Lana, which is a feminine noun, is derived from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. Below are its definite and indefinite articles: The expression di lana (of wool) is …