Italian Dictionary

An Italian dictionary isn’t a dictionary that will contain only terms such as Spaghetti and Italian sausage. In the modern world it can be a dictionary in the Italian language, or a translator from Italian to other languages.

Some websites have an Italian dictionary which includes Italian words and then their English translations. When using these dictionaries keep in mind that the Italian language only has 21 letters in its alphabet it does not have the letter J, K, W, X or Y. So none of those letters can be used to look up words.

Let’s take a look at a few words as shown in an Italian dictionary. Under a there is abate, meaning an abbot. This isn’t one half of a comedy team but rather the head of a monastery. This name is used in many religious traditions including Christianity. The title can also be given to a clergyman who is not necessarily the head of the monastery.

Another word in the Italian dictionary is antarctico. The English equivalent is what you’d expect, Antarctic. This is the Earth’s southernmost continent. It lies over the South Pole. The word comes from the Greek meaning opposite to the north. That’s a good explanation.

In 1959 twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty. Now 46 countries and all have signed it. The treaty prohibits military action in the Antarctic. It also prohibits mineral mining. The purpose of the treaty is to support scientific research and to protect the ecology of the area. Currently more than 4000 scientists conduct research there. Such information would be found in an Encyclopedia rather than an Italian dictionary.

The word Mafia isn’t found in the Italian dictionary. But the word malavita is. It means underworld. The Italian Mafia is also known as the Cosa Nostra. It’s a secret society with roots in Sicily. Its development was sometime in the mid-19th century. When Italians immigrated into the United States an offshoot of this organization was formed on the East Coast. The term mafia in America is used to refer to all Italian organized crime, rather than just Sicilian.

Autoritratto is found in the Italian dictionary. It means self portrait. Here the root auto can be seen in its meaning is clear – own self. Thus an automobile is something that moves on its own.

A look through an Italian dictionary can be quite interesting. That’s because the language contains many of the roots we use for our English words, taken from the Latin or Greek.

Related posts:

1. Greek Dictionary
2. French Dictionary
3. German English Dictionary
4. Hebrew Dictionary
5. Oxford Dictionary
6. Cheaper Than Dirt
7. Spanish English Dictionary
8. English Gaelic Dictionary