If there’s one thing most of us likely don’t get enough of, especially those with young children, it’s sleep. The noun translates as sonno in Italian. sonno sleep / sleepiness The word comes from Latin somnus, which derives from Proto-Italic *swepnos and Proto-Indo-European *swépnos, rooted in *swep- meaning “to sleep.” It is a masculine noun …
You might already know the very common word capriccio, but did you know there’s another Italian word for a tantrum or scene? That word is bizza! bizza tantrum / scene Bizza is a feminine noun that takes the following definite and indefinite articles: While capriccio is more generic, bizza tends to indicate a brief and …
Occhiata, which is the combination of the word occhio (eye) with the noun-forming suffix -ata, may not be the most profound word in Italian but it is used very frequently in everyday conversation. occhiata glance / quick look It translates to glance, glimpse, quick look or peek depending on the context, and as you’ve probably …
The monkey, known as scimmia in Italian, is one of the closest relatives to gli essere umani (human beings). In fact, we share over 90% of our DNA with our primate cousins! scimmia monkey The word is derived from the Latin simia, which in turn comes from simus, derived from the Greek simós meaning ‘”snub-nosed.” …
Some Italian words lend themselves to exploration, and putiferio is one such gem. It’s the perfect term for describing a commotion, uproar, or rumpus in Italian. putiferio commotion / uproar / rumpus This word, according to the Devoto-Oli dictionary, is a deformation of the word vituperio, meaning bitter or abusive language. It is derived from …
Many beginners know that the word for husband is marito in Italian, but a less commonly known word is sposo, which is the Italian for groom or bridegroom. sposo groom / bridegroom The feminine equivalent is sposa which, unsurprisingly, means bride. In its plural form, sposi, this word can mean two different things depending on …