List of English words of Italian origin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a partial list of known or supposed Italian loanwords in English. A separate list of terms used in music can be found at List of Italian musical terms used in English:

Music[]

Main article: Italian musical terms used in English

Italian

  • Acciaccatura
  • Adagio
  • Allegretto
  • Allegro
  • Alto
  • Andante
  • Appoggiatura
  • Aria
  • Arpeggio
  • Assolo
  • Ballerina and Prima ballerina
  • Baritone (from Italian baritono – from Greek βαρύτονος – through French)
  • Bass (from Latin bassus, influenced by Italian basso)
  • Basso
  • Bel canto
  • Bravo
  • Bravura
  • Brio
  • Cadenza
  • Cantata
  • Castrato
  • Celesta
  • Cello (from Italian violoncello)
  • Coda
  • Coloratura
  • Concert (from Italian concerto through French)
  • Concertante
  • Concerto
  • Continuo
  • Contralto
  • Contrapuntal (Italian: contrappuntistico)
  • Cornetto
  • Crescendo
  • Diminuendo
  • Diva
  • Duet (from Italian duetto through French)
  • Duo
  • Falsetto
  • Fantasia
  • Fermata
  • Fiasco (whose Italian basic meaning is "flask, bottle")
  • Finale
  • Forte
  • Fortissimo
  • Glissando
  • Impresario
  • Intermezzo
  • Largo
  • Legato
  • Librettist (Italian: librettista)
  • Libretto
  • Madrigal (Italian: madrigale)
  • Maestro
  • Mandolin (from Italian mandolino through French)
  • Mezzo-soprano (in Italian without hyphen)
  • Obbligato
  • Oboe
  • Ocarina
  • Opera
  • Operetta
  • Oratorio
  • Pianissimo
  • Piano
  • Piccolo (in Italian means "small")
  • Pizzicato
  • Prestissimo
  • Presto
  • Prima ballerina
  • Prima donna
  • Quartet (from Italian quartetto through French)
  • Quintet (Italian: quintetto)
  • Scherzo (in Italian means "joke")
  • Semibreve
  • Sextet (Italian: sestetto)
  • Sol-fa, Solfa, Solfeggio, Solfège (the last one through French)
  • Solo (in Italian means "alone")
  • Soloist (Italian: solista)
  • Sonata
  • Soprano
  • Sotto voce (in Italian it literally means "under voice" i.e. "in a low voice"; often written without spaces)
  • Staccato
  • Tarantella after the city of Taranto
  • Tempo (in Italian means "time")
  • Timpani (Italian timpano, pl. timpani)
  • Toccata
  • Tremolo
  • Trio
  • Trombone
  • Vibrato
  • Viola
  • Violin (from Italian violino through French)
  • Violoncello
  • Virtuoso

Art and architecture[]

  • Antics (from Italian antico, meaning "old, ancient")
  • Apartment (from Italian appartamento through French appartement)
  • Arabesque (from Italian arabesco through French arabesque)[1]
  • Architrave
  • Archivolt (Italian: archivolto)
  • Balcony (from Italian balcone)
  • Bas-relief (from Italian bassorilievo through French)
  • Belvedere (in Italian means a view point)
  • Bust (from Italian busto through French)
  • Cameo (Italian: cameo or cammeo)
  • Campanile
  • Caricature (from Italian caricatura through French)
  • Carton (from Italian cartone through French)
  • Cartoon (from Italian cartone through French)
  • Chiaroscuro: From chiaro-oscuro, "light-dark". An art technique making strong use of bold stadow and harsh lighting[2]
  • Corridor (from Italian corridoio through French)
  • Cupola
  • Dado (in Italian meaning "dice")
  • Fresco (Italian: affresco from the expression a fresco)
  • Gesso
  • Graffiti (Italian: graffito, pl. graffiti)
  • Grotto (in Italian grotta, meaning "cave")
  • Impasto
  • Intaglio
  • Loggia (from French loge)
  • Madonna (in Medieval Italian meant Lady, in Modern Italian indicates Mary the Virgin)
  • Magenta called after the Italian town
  • Mezzanine (Italian mezzanino, from mezzano "middle")
  • Modello (Italian modello, "model, sketch")
  • Moresco
  • Parapet (from Italian parapetto through French)
  • Patina
  • Patio
  • Pergola
  • Piazza
  • Pietà (in Italian means "pity")
  • Portico
  • Putto (Italian putto, "baby", "cherub")
  • Replica (in Italian means "repeat performance")
  • Sgraffito (Italian sgraffiare, "to scratch, write")
  • Stucco (in Italian means "plaster")
  • Tempera
  • Terra-cotta (in Italian without hyphen)
  • Terrazza (in Italian means "terrace", "balcony")
  • Torso
  • Veranda
  • Villa

Literature and language[]

  • Canto From canto "song," originally from Latin. A section of a long or epic poem [3]
  • Ditto (Old Italian for "said")
  • Lingua franca (Italian lingua Franca, "Frankish language"). Its usage to mean a common tongue originated from its meaning in Arabic and Greek during the Middle Ages, whereby all Western Europeans were called "Franks" or Faranji in Arabic and Phrankoi in Greek.[4][5]
  • Motto (Italian motto, "word")[6]
  • Novel (Italian novella, "tale")
  • Ottava rima
  • Rodomontade (From Rodomonte, a character in Italian Renaissance epic poems Orlando innamorato and its sequel Orlando furioso).[7]
  • Sestina
  • Sonnet (From Italian sonetto through French)
  • Stanza

Theatre and dramatic arts[]

  • Cantastoria: From canta historia, "sung story" or "singing history". A theatrical form[8] In modern Italian: cantastorie.
  • Commedia dell'arte
  • Extravaganza (in Italian stravaganza, meaning "extravagance")
  • Finale, Series finale
  • Imbroglio (in Italian means "cheat")
  • Mask (from Italian maschera though Middle French masque, from Medieval Latin masca "mask, specter, nightmare".[9]
  • Punch (from the Italian character Pulcinella)
  • Scenario (in Italian also meaning "scenery")[10]
  • Sotto voce (Italian sottovoce, "in a low voice")

Arts in general and aesthetics[]

  • Burlesque (from Italian burlesco through French)
  • Capriccio: From capriccio, "sudden motion". In music, a free composition; in art, a juxtaposing of elements to create a fantastic or imagined architecture[11]
  • Cinquecento (Italian Cinquecento from millecinquecento, "1500") The culture of the 16th century[12]
  • Grotesque (from Italian grottesco through French)
  • Pastiche (from Italian pasticcio through French)
  • Picturesque (from Italian pittoresco through French)
  • Quattrocento (Italian Quattrocento from millequattrocento, "1400") The culture of the 15th century[13]
  • Studio

Colours[]

  • Orange[14]
  • Lava (color)
  • Magenta[15]
  • Rosso corsa
  • Sepia (Italian: seppia, meaning "cuttlefish")
  • Sienna (Italian terra di Siena, "soil of Siena")
  • Terra cotta (color)
  • Umber (from Latin umbra, "shadow", and the region of its origin, Umbria)

Cuisine[]

  • Al dente
  • Al fresco
  • Antipasto
  • Artichoke from articiocco, Northern Italian variant of Old Italian arcicioffo[16]
  • Baguette (through French baguette from Italian bacchetta)[17][18]
  • Banquet (from Italian banchetto through French)
  • Barista: From barista, "bartender". A preparer of espresso-based coffee[19]
  • Bergamot (Italian: bergamotto)
  • Biscuit (through French from Italian biscotto, meaning "cooked twice")
  • Bologna after the Italian city
  • Bruschetta
  • Broccoli (Italian: broccolo, pl. broccoli)
  • Candy :from Middle English sugre candy, part translation of Middle French sucre candi, from Old French çucre candi, part translation of Italian zucchero candito, from zucchero sugar + Arabic قاندل qandI candied, from Persian قند qand cane sugar; ultimately from Sanskrit खुड् khanda "piece of sugar," perhaps from Dravidian.[20]
  • Cannelloni (Italian: cannellone, pl. cannelloni)
  • Cantaloupe (after the Italian village of Cantalupo in Sabina through French; in Italian the fruit is simply called melone or "Cantalupo")
  • Cappuccino: From cappuccino, "little hood" or "Capuchin". A reference to the similarity between the drink's colour and that of the brown hoods of Capuchin friars[21]
  • Cauliflower (originally cole florye, from Italian cavolfiore meaning "flowered cabbage"[22]
  • Chianti
  • Chipolata (from Italian cipolla, meaning "onion")
  • Ciabatta (whose Italian basic meaning is "slipper")
  • Coffee (from Italian caffè, from Turkish kahveh, and Arabic qahwah, perhaps from Kaffa region of Ethiopia, a home of the plant)[23]
  • Espresso (from espresso, "expressed")
  • Fava
  • Frascati
  • Fusilli (Italian: fusillo, pl. fusilli; a derivative form of the word fuso, meaning "spindle")
  • Gelatine (from Italian gelatina through French)
  • Gnocchi (Italian: gnocco, pl. gnocchi)
  • Gorgonzola after the village near Milan
  • Granita
  • Grappa
  • Gusto
  • Lasagne (Italian: lasagna, pl. lasagne)
  • Latte (or "Caffè latte") (Italian: caffellatte or caffè e latte, "coffee and milk")
  • Latte macchiato (Italian latte macchiato, "stained milk")
  • Macaroni (Italian maccherone, pl. maccheroni)
  • Macchiato (or Caffè macchiato) From macchiato, "stained". Espresso coffee with a small dash of milk[24]
  • Maraschino
  • Marinate (Italian: marinare)
  • Marzipan (through German from Italian marzapane)
  • Martini cocktail named after the famous brand of vermouth
  • Minestrone
  • Mozzarella (from Italian mozzare, "to cut")
  • Muscat (through French from Italian moscato)
  • Orange (through French from Italian arancia, from Arabic naranj)[25][26]
  • Panini (Italian: panino, pl. panini)
  • Parmesan (through French from Italian parmigiano, meaning "from the city of Parma")
  • Pasta
  • Pepperoni (from Italian peperone, pl. peperoni, meaning "bell pepper")
  • Pesto (from Italian pestare, "to crush (with mortar and pestle)")[27]
  • Pistachio (Italian: pistacchio)
  • Pizza
  • Pizzeria
  • Polenta
  • Provolone
  • Radicchio
  • Ravioli
  • Risotto
  • Salami (Italian: salame, pl. salami)
  • Salumi (Italian pl. of salume, "salted meat")
  • Scampi (Italian: scampo, pl. scampi)
  • Semolina (Italian: semolino)
  • Sfogliatelle (Italian sfogliatella, pl. sfogliatelle; from sfoglia, "thin layer")
  • Sorbet (through French from Italian sorbetto, which in turn comes from Turkish, Persian and Arabic)
  • Spaghetti (Italian: spaghetto, pl. spaghetti)
  • Spumoni (Italian: spumone, pl. spumoni)
  • Sultana (in Italian is the female of "sultan"; the grape is called sultanina)
  • Tagliatelle (from Italian tagliare, "to cut")
  • Tortellini (Italian tortellino, pl. tortellini)
  • Trattoria
  • Tutti frutti
  • Vermicelli
  • Vino
  • Zucchini (Italian: zucchina, pl. zucchine)

Clothes, accessories, furniture[]

  • Baldachin (from Italian baldacchino; Baldacco is an old Italian name for Baghdad)
  • Brocade (from Italian broccato through Spanish)
  • Costume (through French)
  • Jeans (after the city of Genoa through French Gênes)
  • Muslin (through French mousseline from Italian mussolina after the city of Mosul)
  • Organza (after the city of Urgenč)
  • Parasol (from Italian parasole through French)
  • Stiletto (in Italian it means "little stylus" and refers to a type of thin, needle-pointed dagger, while the shoes are called tacchi a spillo, literally "needle heels")
  • Umbrella (from Italian ombrello)
  • Valise (from Italian valigia through French)

Geography and geology[]

  • Archipelago (through Italian arcipelago, from Greek "arkhipélagos")
  • Lagoon (Italian: laguna)
  • Littoral (Italian: litorale)
  • Marina (from Italian "mare", "sea")
  • Riviera (from Italian "riviera", coming from Latin ripa, "coastline")
  • Sirocco (Italian: scirocco, from Arabic)
  • Terra rossa

Some toponym of Latin, Greek, Slavic or Arabic origin referring to non-Italian places entered English through Italian:

  • Aleppo
  • Angora
  • Cairo
  • Crimea
  • Monaco
  • Monte Carlo
  • Montenegro
  • Negroponte
  • Santorini
  • Tripoli
  • Valletta
  • Vienna

territories named after Italian explorers:

  • America after Amerigo Vespucci
  • Colombia after Christopher Columbus
  • British Columbia after Christopher Columbus

Commerce and finance[]

  • Bank (Italian: banco or banca) [28]
  • Bankrupt (Italian: bancarotta) [29]
  • Capitalism (from Italian capitale)
  • Carat / karat (from Italian carato – from Arabic – through French) [30]
  • Cartel (through French and German, from Italian cartello, meaning "poster") [31]
  • Cash (from Italian cassa through French caisse and Provençal) [32]
  • Credit (from Italian credito through French) [33]
  • Del credere (Italian: star del credere)
  • Ducat (from Italian ducato, whose main meaning is "duchy") [34]
  • Florin (through French from Italian fiorino) [35]
  • Finance (from Italian affinare, meaning 'do something precisely' in economy)
  • Lira[36]
  • Lombard (through French, from Italian lombardo meaning an inhabitant of Lombardy or also Northern Italy) [37]
  • Mercantile (through French) [38]
  • Management (from Italian mano for "maneggiamento", meaning "hand" for 'handlement') [39]
  • Merchandise (from Italian merce)
  • Money (from Italian Moneta)
  • Ponzi scheme (from Charles Ponzi)
  • Post (from Italian Posta through French "Poste"[40])

Military and weaponry[]

  • Arsenal (Italian: arsenale, from Arabic)
  • Brigade (through French from Italian brigata)
  • Brigand (through French from Italian brigante)
  • Cannon (through French from Italian cannone)
  • Cavalier (Italian: cavaliere)
  • Cavalry (through French cavalerie from Italian cavalleria)
  • Catapult (through Latin catapulta from Italian catapulta)
  • Citadel (through French citadelle from Italian cittadella)
  • Colonel (through French from Italian colonnello)
  • Condottieri (Italian: condottiero, pl. condottieri)
  • Infantry (through French infanterie from Italian infanteria; Modern Italian: fanteria)
  • Generalissimo
  • Salvo (Italian: salva)
  • Scimitar (through Italian: Scimitarra from ancient Persian shamshir)
  • Stiletto (Italian stiletto, "little stylus, an engraving tool)
  • Stratagem (through French stratagème from Italian stratagemma, in its turn from Latin and Greek)
  • Venture (Italian: ventura)

Crime and immorality[]

  • Assassination (from Italian: assassinio. The first to use this Italian word was William Shakespeare in Macbeth. Shakespeare introduced a lot of Italian or Latin words in English language. Assassin and assassination to derive from the word Hashshashin (Arabic: حشّاشين, ħashshāshīyīn, also Hashishin, Hashashiyyin, means Assassins),and shares its etymological roots with hashish. It referred to a group of Nizari Shia Persians who worked against various Arab and Persian targets.
  • Assassin (from Italian: assassino)
  • Bandit (Italian: bandito)
  • Bordello
  • Casino (in Italian means "hunting cottage" or "brothel", and – figuratively – "mess" or "a lot")
  • Charlatan (through French from Italian ciarlatano)
  • Cosa nostra
  • Mafia and Mafioso

Politics[]

Love and sex[]

  • Bimbo (from Italian bimbo, "child")
  • Casanova
  • Dildo (from Italian diletto, meaning "pleasure")
  • Inamorata (from Italian innamorata, a female lover)
  • Ruffian (Italian: m. ruffiano, f. ruffiana)

Science and nature[]

  • Antenna
  • Belladonna
  • Cascade (from Italian cascata through French)
  • Flu (from influenza)
  • Influenza
  • Lava
  • Lazaret (Italian: lazzaretto)
  • Manganese[41]
  • Malaria
  • Medico
  • Neutrino
  • Parma violet (Italian: violetta di Parma, after the city of Parma)
  • Pellagra
  • Quarantine (Italian: quarantena)
  • Saliva
  • Tarantula (through Medieval Latin from Italian tarantola, after the city of Taranto)
  • Volcano (Italian: vulcano derived from the name of Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands, which in turn derives from Vulcanus, the Roman god of fire)
  • Zebra (through Portuguese)
  • Zero (from Arabic)

words after Italian scientist names:

  • Avogadro constant after Amedeo Avogadro
  • Eustachian tube after Bartolomeo Eustachi
  • Fermion, Fermium, Fermi (unit), Fermi level after Enrico Fermi
  • Fibonacci series after Leonardo Fibonacci
  • Galilean transformation after Galileo Galilei
  • Galvanic, Galvanize after Luigi Galvani
  • Marconi rig after Guglielmo Marconi
  • Lagrangian after Giuseppe Luigi Lagrangia
  • Pareto distribution after Vilfredo Pareto
  • Ricci curvature after Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro
  • Torr after Evangelista Torricelli
  • Venturi tube after Giovanni Battista Venturi
  • Volt after Alessandro Volta

Religion, rituals, holidays[]

  • Biretta (Italian: berretta)
  • Camerlengo
  • Carnival (through French from Italian carnevale)
  • Confetti (from Italian confetto, pl. confetti, meaning "dragée"; in Italian confetti are called coriandoli)
  • Intaglio (burial mound) (from the art usage)
  • Masquerade (through French from Italian mascherata)
  • Monsignor (Italian: monsignore)
  • Padre (in Italian means "father")
  • Promession (Italian promessa, "promise")

Games and sports[]

  • Catenaccio: From catenaccio, "door-bolt". A defensive tactic in association football[42]
  • Curva, a curved stadium grandstand
  • Fianchetto (Italian fianchetto, "little flank") A chess tactic
  • Lottery (Italian: lotteria)
  • Tarot (through French) and Taroc (Italian tarocco)
  • Tifo and Tifosi (literally meaning "typhus"; Italian tifosi, "sports fans", "supporters")
  • Tombola
  • Zona mista (literally meaning "mixed zone"; often referred to as "Gioco all'italiana" or "The Game in the Italian style")
  • Libero from Italian libero "free", a defensive specialist posit position in modern volleyball

Others[]

  • Antenna
  • Armature (through Italian plural armature singular armatura; in English rebar, short for reinforcing bar)
  • Berlinetta: From berlinetta, "little saloon". A two-seater sports car[43]
  • Bravado (through French bravade from Italian bravata)
  • Brave (through French from Italian bravo)
  • Capisci ("understand", often misspelled kapish, or kapeesh)
  • Ciao: From ciao, an informal greeting or valediction, originally from Venetian sciavo, "(your humble) servant"[44]
  • Cicerone (tourist guide)
  • Cognoscente (in Italian conoscitore)
  • Dilemma (Italian dilemma from Greek dilemmaton)
  • Dilettante (in Italian means "amateur")
  • Ditto
  • Genoa after the city
  • Gonzo (in Italian means "simpleton", "diddled")
  • Humanist (through French from Italian umanista)
  • Inferno (in Italian means "hell")
  • Latrine (through Italian plural latrine from Latin lavatrina)
  • Lido (in Italian means "coast", usually "sandy coast")
  • Lipizzan (Italian: lipizzano)
  • Major-domo (Italian maggiordomo)
  • Mizzen (through French misaine from Italian mezzana)
  • Nostalgia (with the same meaning in Italian)
  • Paparazzi (Italian paparazzi, plural of paparazzo, the name of a character in the film La Dolce Vita)
  • Pococurante (from poco, "little" and curante, "caring")
  • Poltroon (through French poltron from Italian poltrona)
  • Pronto
  • Regatta (Italian: regata)
  • Vendetta (in Italian means "vengeance")
  • Vista (in Italian means "sight")
  • Viva

Sources[]

  • D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary

See also[]

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ Harper Collins, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  2. ^ "Chiaroscuro | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  3. ^ "Canto | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  4. ^ http://www.komvos.edu.gr/dictonlineplsql/simple_search.display_full_lemma?the_lemma_id=16800&target_dict=1, Lexico Triantaphyllide online dictionary, Greek Language Center (Kentro Hellenikes Glossas), lemma Franc ( Φράγκος Phrankos), Lexico tes Neas Hellenikes Glossas, G.Babiniotes, Kentro Lexikologias(Legicology Center) LTD Publications, ISBN 960-86190-1-7, lemma Franc and (prefix) franco- (Φράγκος Phrankos and φράγκο- phranko-).
  5. ^ Douglas Harper Etymology Dictionary (2001)
  6. ^ "Oxford Languages | the Home of Language Data".
  7. ^ "World Wide Words: Rodomontade".
  8. ^ "Cantastoria: Centuries-Old Performance Style Making a Comeback", The L Magazine. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2013
  9. ^ "Mask (noun)". Etymology Online.
  10. ^ http://www.myetymology.com/english/scenery.html
  11. ^ "Capriccio | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  12. ^ "Cinquecento | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  13. ^ "Quattrocento | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  14. ^ "Orange | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  15. ^ "Magenta | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  16. ^ "Artichoke | Origin and meaning of artichoke by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  17. ^ "BAGUETTE : Etymologie de BAGUETTE".
  18. ^ "Baguette | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  19. ^ "Barista | Origin and meaning of barista by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  20. ^ Harper, Douglas. "candy". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  21. ^ "Cappuccino | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  22. ^ "Cauliflower | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  23. ^ "Coffee | Origin and meaning of coffee by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  24. ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/macchiato
  25. ^ "Orange | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  26. ^ "orange n.1 and adj.1". Oxford English Dictionary online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-30.(subscription required)
  27. ^ "Pesto | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  28. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  29. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  30. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  31. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  32. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  33. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  34. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  35. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  36. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  37. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  38. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  39. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  40. ^ Le Petit Robert
  41. ^ "Manganese | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  42. ^ "Catenaccio" at worldsoccer.com
  43. ^ Laban, Brian. The Ultimate History of Ferrari. Bath: Parragon, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7525-8873-5.
  44. ^ "Ciao | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
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