grasso

Italian

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin grassus. Doublet of crasso.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡras.so/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -asso
• Hyphenation: gràs‧so

Adjective

grasso (feminine grassa, masculine plural grassi, feminine plural grasse)

1. fat

   Synonyms: adiposo, pingue

   Antonyms: asciutto, esile, magro, mingherlino, smilzo, snello

   • 1353, Giovanni Boccaccio, “Giornata sesta, Novella IV [Sixth Day, Fourth Story]”, in Decamerone [Decameron]‎, Tommaso Hedlin, published 1527, page 164:

     Il quale con un ſuo falcone havendo un di […] una gru ammazzata trovandola graſſa e giovane, quella mandò ad un ſuo buon cuoco

     Who [Currado], having one day killed with a falcon of his a crane, finding it to be fat and young, sent it to a cook of his

2. fatty, greasy (containing fat)

   Antonym: magro

   Quando mangio della carne, la preferisco grassa. ― When I eat meat, I prefer it to be fatty.

3. (botany) succulent (of plants)
4. (figurative) rich, abundant

   Synonyms: condito, pesante

   Antonyms: digeribile, leggero

   La cucina di mia madre è molto grassa. ― My mother's cuisine is very rich.

5. (figurative) useful, advantageous

   Synonyms: produttivo, ricco, utile, vantaggioso

   Antonym: svantaggioso

   Mi ha fatto delle grasse promesse. ― He made some advantageous promises.

6. (figurative) well-off, well-to-do (of a person)

   Synonyms: abbiente, agiato, benestante, facoltoso, ricco

   Antonyms: bisognoso, disagiato, indigente, misero, nullatenente, povero

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Paradiso [The Divine Comedy: Paradise] (paperback), Le Monnier, published 2002, Canto XVI, page 293, lines 112–114:

     Così facieno i padri di coloro ¶ che, sempre che la vostra chiesa vaca, ¶ si fanno grassi stando a consistoro.

     So likewise did the ancestors of those ¶ who evermore, when vacant is your church, ¶ get fat by staying in consistory.

   • 1841, Giovanni Villani, Cronache di Dino Compagni, e di Giovanni, Matteo e Filippo Villani‎, volume 1, Padua, Book 8, Chapter 1, page 169:

     essendo la città di Firenze in grande e possente stato […] e' cittadini di quella grassi e ricchi

     with the city of Florence being in a great and powerful condition […] and its citizens well-off and wealthy

7. fatty, greasy, unctuous (having a greasy consistence)

   Synonyms: denso, oleoso, unto, untuoso, vischioso

   Antonyms: asciutto, secco

   Questa pomata è molto grassa. ― This ointment is very greasy.

8. (by extension) thick (of air)

   Synonym: spesso

   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Inferno [The Divine Comedy: Hell], 12th edition (paperback), Le Monnier, published 1994, Canto IX, page 139, lines 82–84:

     Dal volto rimovea quell'aere grasso ¶ menando la sinistra innanzi spesso; ¶ e sol di quell'angoscia parea lasso.

     From off his face he fanned that unctuous air, ¶ waving his left hand oft in front of him, ¶ and only with that anguish seemed he weary.

9. fatty, greasy, unctuous (having a greasy surface)

   Synonyms: oleoso, unto, untuoso

   Antonyms: asciutto, secco

   Prima di fare la doccia, avevo dei capelli molto grassi. ― Before showering, my hair was very greasy.

10. (figurative) licentious, raunchy, vulgar (of a way of speaking)

    Synonyms: grossolano, lascivo, licenzioso, osceno, sboccato, spinto, triviale, volgare

    Antonyms: castigato, casto, irreprensibile, pudico

    Mio zio è solito raccontare storielle grasse. ― My uncle usually tells licentious little stories.

Noun

grasso m (plural grassi)

1. fat (animal tissue)
2. (by extension) any greasy substance
3. (nautical) the concavity of a sail under the effect of the wind

Derived terms

• grassamente
• grasso di balena (“blubber”)
• ingrassare

Anagrams

• grossa

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾa.su/

• Hyphenation: gras‧so

Etymology 1

Adjective

grasso (feminine grassa, masculine plural grassos, feminine plural grassas)

1. (uncommon) fatty (containing fat)

Etymology 2

Verb

grasso

1. first-person singular present indicative of grassar

Further reading

• “grasso”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “grasso”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025