Word of the Day

Our word this week, chiacchiere(kiahk-kieh-rai) is both pleasant and tasty, and it is also very much in line with the time of the year we are in, Carnevale. It is the plural form of chiacchiera, which comes from the verb …

Today’s word is very tasty and sweet! Canditi(singular: candito) are those little candied morsels you find in traditional panettone, along with sultanas. Canditi (kan-dee-tee) are just chopped candied fruit of all kinds, which are broadly used in patisserie not only …

We’ve all met a sapientone (sah-pee-ehn-toh-nai) at least once in our lives, and I am sure I speak for everyone when saying we’d rather never spend time with them again! Sapientone comes from the word sapienza, which means “knowledge” or …

Troppo (trohp-poh) is a very common Italian word that we can translate into English as “too much,” or simply as “too.”  We use it to indicate something excessive, to the point of becoming negative, just like in the sentence se …

Today’s word is delicious! Panforte (pan-for-tai) is a type of traditional cake from Siena, made with nuts, candied fruit, honey, sugar and spices. The word comes from the pane, “bread,” and forte, “strong” or, in this case, “firm.” Panforte hails …

Today’s word is eppure(ai-puh-rai). Eppure comes from the Latin phrase et pūre, which means “and even so.” This phrase was composed of the conjunction et, meaning “and,” and the adverb pūre, meaning “purely” or “truly.” Over time, it evolved into the word eppure in Italian and gained …

Compagnia (com-pah-ñee-ah) is a beautiful word, with a very interesting etymology. It comes from the Latin cum panis (with bread), which can be extended in meaning to “sharing the same bread.” Because this is exactly what people do when they …

Altrimenti(al-tree-mehn-tee)is a commonly used adverb in Italian, formed by combining the adjective altro, which means “other,” with the suffix –mente, which in Italian is used to form adverbs. The word altrimenti is typically translated into English as “or” or “otherwise,” …

Today’s word is addirittura(ad-dee-riht-too-rah). It is a fascinating term with a rich history and evolving meaning. Addirittura, originally, was spelled “a dirittura” and was used to say that an action was taking place immediately. Back in the day, then, you …

Today’s word is caspita (cah-spee-tah), a common exclamation you have probably heard quite often from your Italian friends and relatives. It wants to express surprise and sometimes even sadness or resentment. In English, you can simply translate it with “woah” or “wow,” …