The word for a city in Italian is città. It is derived from the Latin civitatem, a derivative of civis meaning “citizen“. It generally refers to any human settlement of considerable size with streets, public services, and a local administration. Because it is an invariable feminine noun, the plural form is the same as the …
Don’t let the appearance of today’s word fool you: fattoria (feminine, plural: fattorie) is the word for farm in Italian, not factory! (If you’re interested in learning about even more “false friends” in Italian and English, check out our dedicated article!) It derives from the word fattore, the name for a person who manages a …
The word baracca (feminine, plural: baracche) in Italian, which comes from the Catalan barraca, literally translates as a hut, shed or shack used as temporary shelter for people, animals or goods. It should be quite easy for English speakers to remember as it shares the same origin as the word barracks. Learn with our video …
Ritrovo (masculine, plural ritrovi) is the word for meeting place, haunt, or hangout in Italian. More specifically, it refers to a place where several people meet on a regular basis to chat amicably, or to entertain themselves with a common interest. It comes from the verbs ritrovare (to find again / to recover) and ritrovarsi …
The word for library in Italian is biblioteca (feminine, plural: biblioteche). Its origin can be traced back to the ancient Greek word βιβλιοθήκη which is a combination of βιβλίον (biblion meaning book) and -θήκη (-theke meaning box or chest). Some different kinds of biblioteche include: biblioteca comunale / pubblica = public library biblioteca scolastica = …
Whereas in English, we distinguish between the words paradise and heaven, there is just one word in Italian: paradiso (masculine, plural: paradisi). It comes from the Latin word paradisus which in turn derives from the Greek paradisos. Paradiso, in the sense of heaven, is the place regarded in various religions as the abode of God, …