The word for squirrel in Italian is scoiattolo (masculine, plural: scoiattoli). Both terms can be traced back to the Greek skiouros, which is a combination of skia (shadow) and oura (tail).
The diminutive scoiattolino can be used to indicate a small squirrel or a squirrel kitten.
When you imagine a typical squirrel, what comes to mind is likely a member of the tree squirrel family such as the red squirrel (scoiattolo rosso) or Eastern gray squirrel (scoiattolo grigio). However, there are many other species including the:
- scoiattolo volante = flying squirrel
- tamia = chipmunk
- marmotta = marmot
- scoiattolo di terra = ground squirrel
- cane della prateria = prairie dog
Gli scoiattoli sono tra i mammiferi più diffusi al mondo.
Squirrels are among the most widespread mammals in the world.
In a figurative sense, the word scoiattolo can be used to describe a person who is agile and energetic.
- È agile come uno scoiattolo. = He’s as agile as a squirrel.
- È veloce come uno scoiattolo. = He’s as fast as a squirrel.
- Arrampicarsi come uno scoiattolo. = To climb like a squirrel.
Quella bambina è proprio agile come uno scoiattolo. Guarda come si arrampica sull’albero!
That little girl really is a squirrel. Look at how she’s climbing the tree!
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.
