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List of English words of Italian origin

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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

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Main article: Italian musical terms used in English

Art and architecture

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Literature and language

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Theatre and dramatic arts

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Arts in general and aesthetics

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  • 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

Colours

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Cuisine

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Main article: List of Italian dishes

Clothes, accessories, furniture

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  • 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)

Geography and geology

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

territories named after Italian explorers:

Commerce and finance

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  • 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])

Military and weaponry

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  • 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)

Crime and immorality

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  • 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

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Love and sex

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  • 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

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words after Italian scientist names:

Religion, rituals, holidays

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Games and sports

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary

See also

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Notes

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References

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  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". Archived from the original on May 14, 2013.
  7. ^ "World Wide Words: Rodomontade".
  8. ^ "Buffoon | Etymology of buffoon by etymonline".
  9. ^ "Cantastoria: Centuries-Old Performance Style Making a Comeback", The L Magazine. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2013
  10. ^ "Mask (noun)". Etymology Online.
  11. ^ Article title[usurped]
  12. ^ "Capriccio | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  13. ^ "Cinquecento | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  14. ^ "Quattrocento | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  15. ^ "Orange | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  16. ^ "Magenta | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  17. ^ "Artichoke | Origin and meaning of artichoke by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  18. ^ "BAGUETTE : Etymologie de BAGUETTE".
  19. ^ "Baguette | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  20. ^ "Barista | Origin and meaning of barista by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  21. ^ Harper, Douglas. "candy". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  22. ^ "Canteen | Etymology of canteen by etymonline".
  23. ^ "Cappuccino | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  24. ^ "Cauliflower | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  25. ^ "Coffee | Origin and meaning of coffee by Online Etymology Dictionary".
  26. ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/macchiato
  27. ^ "Orange | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  28. ^ "orange n.1 and adj.1". Oxford English Dictionary online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-30.(subscription required)
  29. ^ "Pesto | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  30. ^ "Desk | Etymology of desk by etymonline".
  31. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  32. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  33. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  34. ^ "Career | Etymology of career by etymonline".
  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. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  41. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  42. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  43. ^ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
  44. ^ Le Petit Robert
  45. ^ "Alert | Etymology of alert by etymonline".
  46. ^ "Camouflage | Etymology of camouflage by etymonline".
  47. ^ "Attack | Etymology of attack by etymonline".
  48. ^ "Manganese | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  49. ^ "Arcade | Etymology of arcade by etymonline".
  50. ^ "Carousel | Etymology of carousel by etymonline".
  51. ^ "Catenaccio Archived 2013-05-07 at the Wayback Machine" at worldsoccer.com
  52. ^ "Balloon | Etymology of balloon by etymonline".
  53. ^ Laban, Brian. The Ultimate History of Ferrari. Bath: Parragon, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7525-8873-5.
  54. ^ "Ciao | Search Online Etymology Dictionary".
  55. ^ "Mustache | Etymology of mustache by etymonline".
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