Italian Word of the Day: Coltello (knife)

The word for knife in Italian is coltello. It comes from the Latin cultellus which in turn is the diminutive form of the word culter (knife). Here are the definite and indefinite articles that must be used with this masculine noun: il coltellothe knife un coltelloa knife i coltellithe knives dei coltelli(some) knives A few …

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Italian Word of the Day: Brina (frost)

As I was taking my son to nursery school early this morning, I noticed him looking at the sidewalk and grass, mesmerised by the shimmering layer of brina (frost / hoarfrost) that had powdered them white overnight. Brina is a feminine noun whose plural form is brine. (Note, however, that the plural form is very …

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Italian Word of the Day: Cavatappi (corkscrew / bottle opener)

The Italian word for a corkscrew or bottle opener is cavatappi. It is a compilation of the verb cavare (to remove, to extract) and tappo (cork, stopper). cavatappi corkscrew / bottle opener Cavatappi is an invariable masculine noun, which means that it keeps the same form in the singular and plural. In fact, all nouns …

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Italian Word of the Day: Comportamento (behaviour)

The word comportamento in Italian generally translates as behaviour or conduct in English. It comes from the verbs comportare (to entail) and comportarsi (to behave / react). Comportamento is a masculine noun, whose plural form is comportamenti. il comportamentothe behaviour un comportamentoa behaviour i comportamentithe behaviours dei comportamenti(some) behaviours Some common types of behaviour include: …

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Italian Word of the Day: Fata (fairy)

The word for a fairy in Italian is fata. It comes from the Vulgar Latin fata, the neuter plural of fatum (destiny) that was later mistaken for the feminine singular form with the meaning “the deity of destiny” or “goddess of fate”. Only later did it assume the modern meaning of a mythical creature with …

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Italian Word of the Day: Cucchiaio (spoon)

The word for spoon in Italian is cucchiaio. Its origin can be traced back to the Latin cochlearium, a derivative of cochlea, which was the tool originally used to eat snails! Here are the definite and indefinite articles that accompany this masculine noun: il cucchiaiothe spoon un cucchiaioa spoon i cucchiaithe spoons dei cucchiai(some) spoons …

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