Ricetta is the word Italians use for both recipe, as in a list of instructions for preparing a dish, and prescription, as in the instructions written by a doctor so that a patient may receive a medicine or treatment. Curiously, in the 16th century, the word recipe in late Middle English used to refer to …
The Italian word squillo is a masculine noun that generally translates as ring (or “ringing sound”) but also buzz or jingle depending on the device producing the sound. It derives from the verb squillare which means, you guessed it, “to ring”. It is normally used in reference to the sound made by a telephone (telefono), …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …