Italian Word of the Day: Mezzanotte (midnight)

At the stroke of midnight on December 31st, the new year will begin, bringing with it a whole new set of hopes, dreams, wishes, and challenges. The word for midnight in Italian is mezzanotte, which is the union of two words: mezzo (half or middle) and notte (night).

/meẓ·ẓa·nòt·te/

The reason mezzo has become mezza is because notte is a feminine noun. In the case of the word mezzogiorno (midday / noon), on the other hand, mezzo remains masculine because giorno is masculine.

Caspita, è già mezzanotte. Dovrei andare a dormire.

Oh my, it’s already midnight. I should go to bed.


lake in mountains at night in moon light

Be aware that the plural of mezzanotte can be either mezzanotti or mezzenotti. Don’t dwell too much on which to use though, as the plural form is rare! It takes the following definite and indefinite articles:

  • la mezzanotte
  • le mezzenotti
  • una mezzanotte
  • (delle) mezzenotti

Mezzanotte can also refer specifically to the sound of the bells that chime at midnight.

La mezzanotte è suonata senza che me ne sia accorto.

Midnight struck without my realising it.


Ethics statement: Below you will find affiliate links. If you buy something after clicking the link, we will receive a small commission. To know more about our ethics, you can visit our full disclosure page. Thank you!

Lingopie (affiliate link) is the Netflix of language learning application that uses real TV shows and movies to help you learn a new language. You can choose a show to watch based on your fluency level, and use the interactive subtitles to get instant translations to help you learn quickly.

Are you interested in improving your Italian in a fun and stress-free manner? Then we highly recommend Serena Capilli's short stories in Italian (affiliate link), designed for beginners, advanced beginners, and lower intermediate learners (A1-B1 CEFR). These stories have been optimised for English speakers in search of a fun, laid-back learning experience! Read our full review here.


Leave a Comment