Some Italian words lend themselves to exploration, and putiferio is one such gem. It’s the perfect term for describing a commotion, uproar, or rumpus in Italian.
putiferio
commotion / uproar / rumpus
This word, according to the Devoto-Oli dictionary, is a deformation of the word vituperio, meaning bitter or abusive language. It is derived from the late Latin “vituperium”, which in turn comes from “vituperare” (to vituperate), composed of “vitium” (fault) and “parare” (to prepare).
Being a masculine noun, it takes the following definite and indefinite articles:
- il putiferio = the commotion
- i putiferi = the commotions
- un putiferio = a commotion
- dei putiferi = some commotions
It is common to see it used with verbs such as sollevare (to raise / stir up), far scoppiare (to start) and scatenare (to set off / unleash). Some possible translations include:
- to kick up a fuss
- to cause an uproar
- all hell breaks loose
La nuova proposta di legge potrebbe sollevare un putiferio in parlamento.
The new bill could stir up a commotion in parliament.
Si scatenerà un putiferio quando scopriranno cos’hai fatto.
All hell will break loose when they find out what you’ve done.
As with many words, putiferio also has a figurative meaning, which is mess, jumble or confusion.
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.
