Top Qs

Timeline

Chat

Perspective

List of English words of Italian origin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads

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

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (May 2013)

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. (August 2022)

Music

Remove ads

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 shadow 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 (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

Remove ads

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

Buffoon (from Italian buffone "jester" via French)^[8]
Cantastoria (from canta historia 'sung story' or 'singing history', a theatrical form,^[9] 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'.^[10]
Punch (from the Italian character Pulcinella)
Scenario (in Italian also meaning 'scenery')^[11]
Sotto voce (Italian sottovoce 'in a low voice')

Remove ads

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^[12]
Cinquecento (Italian Cinquecento from millecinquecento '1500') The culture of the 16th century^[13]
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^[14]
Studio

Remove ads

Colours

Orange^[15]
Lava (color)
Magenta^[16]
Rosso corsa
Sepia (from Italian seppia, meaning 'cuttlefish')
Sienna (from 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)^[17]
Baguette (through French baguette from Italian bacchetta)^[18]^[19]
Banquet (from Italian banchetto through French)
Barista (from barista 'bartender'. A preparer of espresso-based coffee)^[20]
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)^[21]
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)
Canteen (from Italian cantina "wine cellar, vault" via French)^[22]
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)^[23]
Cauliflower (originally cole florye, from Italian cavolfiore meaning 'flowered cabbage'^[24]
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)^[25]
Conchiglie
Dolcelatte
Espresso (from espresso 'expressed')
Farfalle
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
Grissini
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)^[26]
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)^[27]^[28]
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)')^[29]
Pistachio (Italian: pistacchio)
Pizza
Pizzeria
Polenta
Prosecco
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)

Remove ads

Clothes, accessories, furniture

Baldachin (from Italian baldacchino; Baldacco is an old Italian name for Baghdad)
Brocade (from Italian broccato through Spanish)
Costume (through French)
Desk (perhaps via Italian desco)^[30]
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)

Remove ads

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

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) ^[31]
Bankrupt (Italian: bancarotta) ^[32]
Carat / karat (from Italian carato – from Arabic – through French) ^[33]
Career (from Old Provençal or Italian carriera via French, ultimately of Gaulish origin)^[34]
Cartel (through French and German, from Italian cartello, meaning 'poster') ^[35]
Cash (from Italian cassa through French caisse and Provençal) ^[36]
Credit (from Italian credito through French) ^[37]
Del credere (Italian: star del credere)
Ducat (from Italian ducato, whose main meaning is 'duchy') ^[38]
Florin (through French from Italian fiorino) ^[39]
Lira^[40]
Lombard (through French, from Italian lombardo meaning an inhabitant of Lombardy or also Northern Italy) ^[41]
Mercantile (through French) ^[42]
Management (from Italian mano for maneggiamento, meaning 'hand' for "handlement") ^[43]
Ponzi scheme (from Charles Ponzi)
Post (from Italian posta through French poste^[44])

Remove ads

Military and weaponry

Alert (from Italian à l'erte "on the watch" via French)^[45]
Arsenal (Italian arsenale, from Arabic)
Brigade (through French from Italian brigata)
Brigand (through French from Italian brigante)
Camouflage (from Italian camuffare "to disguise" via French)^[46]
Cannon (through French from Italian cannone)
Cavalier (from 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)

Remove ads

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 into the English language. Assassin and assassination 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)
Attack (from Florentine Italian attaccare via French)^[47]
Bandit (from 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

Doge
Fascism (Italian: fascismo)
Fascist (Italian: fascista)
Ghetto
Machiavellian and Machiavellianism after Niccolò Machiavelli
Manifesto (meaning 'poster' in Italian)
Politico (meaning either 'political' or 'politician' in Italian)
Propaganda

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^[48]
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

Arcade (from Italian arcata "arch of a bridge" via French)^[49]
Carousel (from Italian carusiello via French. Etymologically related to "car".)^[50]
Catenaccio (from catenaccio 'door-bolt', a defensive tactic in association football)^[51]
Curva (a curved stadium grandstand)
Fianchetto (Italian fianchetto 'little flank', a chess tactic)
Lottery (Italian: lotteria)
Tarot (through French) and taroc (Italian tarocco)
Tifo (literally meaning 'typhus') and tifosi (from Italian tifosi 'sports fans', 'supporters')
Ultras (from Latin "ultra", fanatical fans)
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)
Balloon (from Italian pallone "large ball" from a Germanic source)^[52]
Berlinetta (from berlinetta 'little saloon', a two-seater sports car)^[53]
Bravado (through French bravade from Italian bravata)
Brave (through French from Italian bravo)
Capisce ('understand', third-person hortatory subjunctive form of capire, often misspelled kapish, or kapeesh)
Ciao (from ciao, an informal greeting or valediction, originally from Venetian sciavo '(your humble) servant'^[54]
de)
Cognoscente (from Italian conoscente, 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)
Mustache (from Italian mostaccio via French and ultimately from Greek)^[55]
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

Loading content...

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads

Remove ads