Word of the Day

Among all the words of the day we have had so far, insolente  (een-so-lehn-tai) is probably the one with the most interesting etymology. In Italian, we say someone is “insolente” when they are very outspoken, to the point of lacking manners. Insolente …

Primavera (pree-mah-vai-rah) is the first season of the year, spring. Primavera is, for nature and for everyone on Earth, a moment of rebirth. Days are longer, the air is full of scents and the landscape of colors: all it’s new again!  …

Today we want to explore a very common Italian expression, hai presente (ah-ee prai-sehn-teh). Avere presente means that we know what the other person is talking about, for instance, ho presente quel negozio, ci ho comprato questi pantaloni (“I know that store, I bought these pants …

Today’s word, invece (een-vai-tchai) is the union of two terms, in and vece and we started using it sometimes in the 18th century as a single word, but its use was common before, but as a locution, with examples found even in Dante’s work. In English, …

Today’s word, spensierato (spehn-see-eh-rah-to) is something we all would like to be. Just like our title say, spensierato means “carefree,” and isn’t that a feeling we all love? Of course, being spensierati (this is its plural form) isn’t easy in this day and age, but we …

Today’s word is much needed these days. Buondì (boo-ohn-dee, with the accent on the -dee!) is a colloquial term used to say “good morning” or “good day.” It is the union of two other words, buon (“good”) and dì (an old-fashioned version of “day”), and …

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, writing about a lovers’ word came naturally.  Bacio (bah-tcho) is the most immediate sign of affection; the kiss is ubiquitous and used by everyone who wants to show – more or less passionately, depending on who you’re directing your …

Our special word this week is a tricky one because it can truly be interpreted in a million ways. Quandomai – or quando mai, as an adverbial locution– (koo-ahn-doh mah-ee) is formed by two separate time adverbs, quando (when) and mai (ever). We use it commonly, in all …

Cianfrusaglia (tchan-froo-sah-lyee-ah) is today’s word. I don’t know if you have heard it, but in the heart of many, it’s a controversial term!  Because your cianfrusaglia may be, to me, a little treasure to cherish.  Indeed, cianfrusaglia is a useless object, something that has no …

If you compare it to other words of our beautiful language, altroché (al-troh-kai) is a relatively new entry in our vocabulary, as its earlier attestations are found sometimes before 1909. This adverb, which is the union of two words, altro and che, is especially used in …