The Italian word for the ornaments we hang on the tree at Christmastime is addobbo (or more specifically addobbo natalizio), derived from the verb addobbare, meaning “to adorn, decorate, or deck out.”
Because it is a masculine noun beginning with a vowel, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
- l’addobbo = the decoration / ornament
- gli addobbi = the decorations / ornaments
- un addobbo = a decoration / ornament
- degli addobbi = (some) decorations / ornaments
Ho comprato degli addobbi da appendere sull’albero di Natale.
I bought some decorations to hang on the Christmas tree.
Another word for ornament or decoration in Italian is the feminine noun decorazione (plural decorazioni). When talking about Christmas ornaments, you can use these two terms more or less interchangeably.
While the verb addobbare means “to decorate” or “to adorn“, the reflexive addobbarsi means “to adorn oneself” or “to dress up” in a lavish way.
Hai visto come si sono addobbati questi due?
Did you see how those two dressed up?
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
