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 coltello
the knife
un coltello
a knife
i coltelli
the knives
dei coltelli
(some) knives
A few different kinds of coltelli with which you may be familiar include:
- coltello da tavola = table knife
- coltello a scatto = switch-blade
- coltello da caccia = hunting knife
- coltello da cucina = kitchen knife
- coltello da pane = bread knife
- coltello da tasca = pocket knife
- coltello multiuso = multi-tool knife
Ci vuole molto tempo prima che i bambini imparino ad usare un coltello correttamente.
It takes a long time for children to learn how to use a knife correctly.
Coltello can also be used figuratively to denote suffering or violence. For example, un coltello nel cuore (lit. a knife in the heart) is an expression that refers to a painful episode.
L’incarcerazione del figlio fu un coltello nel cuore per il padre.
The son’s imprisonment was a knife in the heart for the father.
Una lotta a coltello / a colpi di coltello (lit. a fight with knives / made with knife blows) means a wild, violent fight, but it can also refer to a tight race between two or more protagonists. A storia di coltello refers to a story filled with drama, feuds and revenge.
Idioms featuring the word ‘coltello’
Avere il coltello dalla parte del manico
Literal translation: to have the knife by the handle
English meaning:to be in an advantageous position, to have the upper hand
Prendere il coltello per la lama
Literal translation: to grab the knife by the blade
English meaning: to shoot oneself in the foot, to cause oneself harm
Avere il coltello / essere con il coltello alla gola
Literal translation: to have a knife / to be with a knife to one’s throat
English meaning: = to have a knife to one’s throat
Affondare il coltello nella piaga
Literal translation: to sink the knife into the wound
English meaning: to rub salt into somebody’s wound
Da tagliarsi con il coltello / che si taglia con il coltello
Literal translation: to be cut with the knife / which is cut with the knife
English meaning: an allusion to something that is very thick, such as fog, or intense, such tension between people (e.g. c’era una nebbia da tagliarsi con il coltello = there was a fog so thick you could cut it with a knife)
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.
