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Italian

Italian

2.1
A language people mainly speak in Italy
  • noun
  • /ɪˈtæljən/
translation icon : italiano
  • The sign was written in Italian, which made it difficult for the tourists to understand.

A print my book in Italian, in Sicilian.

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Examples

  • So biscotti in Italian is any sort of cookies.

  • Let's get back to the story of learning Italian through a video game map.

  • But I was teaching Italian down the North End of Boston.

  • What's the marking or Italian word for fast?

  • So Uno means one in Italian Duet, you know, logical progression.

  • Many students are now learning Italian to prepare for their travels to Italy.

  • She speaks fluent Italian and enjoys translating classic literature into English.

Compounds

A period in Italy from the 1300s to the 1600s known for great art and new ideas

2 2.4

A thin sauce for salad made with oil, vinegar, garlic, and herbs like oregano

A small plant with flat dark green leaves that adds a mild fresh taste to food

A long crusty loaf of bread made with yeast, not sweet and with tapered ends

A small, slender dog often kept as a gentle, loving house pet

1 9.9

The Italian language spoken and written before 1550

Italian lira
  • Archaic
1 7.0

Money used in Italy before the euro, replaced in 2002

A tall, thin evergreen tree that grows in a narrow column and people plant in gardens

A climbing shrub with sweet-smelling white and yellow flowers that attract bees and butterflies

A rough grass grown each year for grain or animal feed that grows well in dry soil

8.8

The unit of money used in Italy before the euro

Italian bee
  • Specialized
5.4

A yellowish honeybee that is gentle and makes a lot of honey

Italian clover
  • Specialized
8.2

A plant with red, spiky flowers grown for animal food and to improve soil

A long boot-shaped piece of land in southern Europe that sticks into the Mediterranean Sea

The country of Italy in southern Europe that has an elected president

A dish of rice cooked slowly in broth until thick and creamy, often with cheese

A fast-growing grass grown for hay, lawns, and to improve soil

Italian ryegrass
  • Specialized
6.0

A fast-growing grass from Europe grown for hay, lawns, and to make soil better

A large sandwich made with a long crusty roll filled with meats, cheese, and vegetables

Italian sonnet
  • Literature
8.4

A 14-line poem with eight lines that present a problem and six lines that respond using set rhyme patterns

A dark green squash with light patches used in Mediterranean cooking

A sweet, dark wine from Italy with extra alcohol used in cocktails

A climbing shrub with pale flowers that smell sweet like honeysuckle

Surface Forms

Italian singular
Italians plural

Morphology

Italian = Italy (transparent) = Italy + an

The language name is the regular adjectival/demonymal form derived from 'Italy' and is predictable for learners familiar with country-to-language patterns.

Etymology

Italian for the language comes from the country name Italia, so it is the speech used by the people of 'Italy'.