Today’s ‘word of the day’ is part of our Italian Halloween Word series. On the days leading up to Halloween, we’ll post a word that is related to this spooky time of year. Enjoy! 🦇
Scheletro (masculine, plural: scheletri) is the Italian word for skeleton. It derives from the Greek term skeletos which means ‘dried up‘.
Here are the definite and indefinite articles that this masculine noun takes:
- lo scheletro = the skeleton
- gli scheletri = the skeletons
- uno scheletro = a skeleton
- degli scheletri = some skeletons
Some different kinds of skeletons include:
- scheletro umano = human skeleton
- scheletro di dinosauro = dinosaur skeleton
- scheletro di uccello / mammifero / rettile = skeleton of a bird / mammal / reptile
Durante gli scavi hanno ritrovato uno scheletro.
During the excavations they found a skeleton.
People often allude to skeletons when describing someone who is extremely thin. For example, you can say:
- essere magro come uno scheletro = to be as skinny as a skeleton
- ridursi a uno scheletro = to be reduced to a skeleton
- pare uno scheletro = to look like a skeleton
The English expression to have skeletons in the closet, which refers to an embarrassing fact that someone wishes to keep secret, has also been borrowed into Italian (avere uno scheletro nell’armadio).
By extension, both the Italian scheletro and English skeleton can denote the supporting framework or basic structure of something such as a vehicle or building.
Il tetto è praticamente completato, lo scheletro della casa pure.
The roof is practically finished, as is the skeleton / framework of the house.
It can also refer to the outline or plot of a book, play, story or any other written piece of work.
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.
