Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words - Podcasts

7:26

Episode 34: ORO

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/10/02

From Latin aurum, through the later form orum. Its ancient roots are associated with burning, glowing and shining, and have also been connected to the light of dawn.That brings us to aurora, meaning dawn. And yes, think about the aurora borealis!Gold’s chemical symbol, Au, still carries the root of its Latin name, aurum.Il mattino ha l’oro in bocca.Literally, “the morning has gold in its mouth.” The idea is that people who get up early are more active and productive.English: “The early bird

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6:06

Episode 33: MAMMA & PAPÀ

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/09/25

Still in our family cycle, today we have two words: MAMMA and PAPÀ or BABBO, which formally we call MADRE and PADRE, mother and father.Together, we call them I GENITORI, the parents. From Latin genitor, from the verb gignere, meaning “to generate”, “to give life”, or “to produce”.The word mamma, a root shared across many languages, comes from one of the first sounds an infant makes. It also comes from Latin mamma, meaning “breast”.From mamma, we get the word MAMMONE. A very useful word. It

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4:10

Episode 32: ZIO & ZIA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/09/18

The word zio comes from the ancient Greek theios, meaning "uncle." It is related to the word theós, meaning "god," probably reflecting the respect traditionally shown to uncles.Over time, this Greek word spread through Italian and gradually replaced the Latin avunculus, which originally referred to the mother's brother.And while I was doing my research, I discovered something really interesting: the English word uncle actually comes from the Latin avunculus!Avunculus is the diminutive of

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6:02

Episode 31: FRATELLO & SORELLA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/09/11

FRATELLO, the Italian word for brother.It comes from Late Latin fratellus, a diminutive of frater. It is related to the Sanskrit bhrātar, which in turn comes from the Indo European root bher-, meaning "to carry", "to support", or "to nourish."So, etymologically speaking, a fratello is someone who supports us, nourishes us, and walks through life with us. I mean, wow. Fratellone means big brother, thanks to the suffix -one, which we can add to almost any noun to make it bigger or more

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6:53

Episode 30: FIGLIO & FIGLIA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/09/04

The Italian word for son is FIGLIO, and for daughter is FIGLIA. These come from the Latin filius, which in turn comes from an even older root dhē-i-, meaning “to breastfeed” or “to suck milk.” It’s the same root behind the word femina, “woman,” originally meaning “the one who breastfeeds” (which you can recognize in English words like female and feminine).So a figlio is, quite literally, someone who lives off milk. Pretty straightforward, right?But let’s look at some Italian expressions

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5:17

Episode 29: LUNA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/08/28

LUNAFrom Latin LUNA (L U N A), la luna can be CALANTE (waning) or CRESCENTE (waxing), MEZZA (half moon), PIENA (full) or a SPICCHIO DI LUNA (crescent moon).We have the CHIARO DI LUNA, moonlight. You might have heard it in a bunch of classical music pieces, by Chopin, Beethoven, etc.LUNA DI MIELE Honeymoon“Allora, dove andate in luna di miele? Maldive o Spagna?” “So, where are you going on your honeymoon? The Maldives or Spain?”ABBAIARE ALLA LUNA To bark at the moon, to complain or freak out

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5:04

Episode 28: SOLE

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/08/21

SOLEFrom Latin sol, solis, il Sole (S-O-L-E), nasce (is born, rises) / spunta (emerges) / tramonta (sets) / scende (goes down).PRENDERE IL SOLE — To take the sun, to sunbathe“Mi piace prendere il sole in terrazza!” — “I like sunbathing on my balcony!”ANDARE A VEDERE IL SOLE A SCACCHI — To go look at a ‘checkered’ sun, meaning to go to jail. That’s how you see the sun through the bars of a prison window.“Ehh Mario… Mario è andato a vedere il sole a scacchi” — “Mario went to jail… to look at

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5:16

Episode 27: STELLA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/08/14

STELLAFrom Latin stella, STELLA (S-T-E-L-L-A) has the same root as the English STAR!Such a nice, cute little word!Le stelle scintillano — The stars are shining / twinkling Una notte di stelle / senza stelle — A starry / starless nightDo you know what I love? LE STELLE CADENTI, the so-called “falling stars” — shooting stars.ANDARE / ESSERE ALLE STELLE — To go through the roof / to be sky-high, especially when talking about prices, success, popularity, etc.Mamma mia, i prezzi della benzina

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5:58

Episode 26: CIELO

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2026/08/07

CIELOCIELO is the Italian word for SKY.From the Latin caelum, it shares its root with words like celestial (something that belongs to the sky) and Italian celeste (the color of the sky).IL CIELO can be:sereno — clear nuvoloso — cloudy azzurro — blue / azureCIELO A PECORELLE, ACQUA A CATINELLE Literally: “Sheep-like clouds in the sky, rain by the bucketful.” When the sky is filled with little clouds that look like sheep, it means heavy rain is coming.TOCCARE IL CIELO CON UN DITO Literally:

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5:34

Episode 25: GATTO

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/08/15

From Latin CATTUS ESSERE AGILE COME UN GATTO — to be as agile as a catESSERE IN 4 GATTI — To be 4 cats, to be very few people‘C’erano solo 4 gatti allo spettacolo’- ‘There were only a few ppl at the show’ESSERE DEL GATTO — to be ‘of the cat’, to be in a bad situation, problematic, almost hopeless‘Siamo del gatto’ - ‘We’re screwed’ESSERE COME IL GATTO E LA VOLPE — to be like the cat and the fox from Collodi’s Pinocchio, to be partners in crime‘Alessio e Massimo: eccoli lì, sempre a

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4:32

Episode 24: MOSCA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/07/21

From Latin MUSCA = FLYACCHIAPPARE LE MOSCHE - to catch flies, to do a useless job"Cosa devo fare?" "Prendi una mosca e falla ballare“ - "What can I do?’ ‘Get a fly and dance with her’”ESSERE NOIOSO/ FASTIDIOSO COME UNA MOSCA, to be annoying as a fly‘Giovanni è fastidioso come una mosca: ha sempre da criticare!" - "Giovanni is as annoying as a fly: he’s always criticizing’STARE A GUARDARE LE MOSCHE CHE VOLANO, to stare at flying flies, being distracted, not doing anything “E tu? che fai

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5:16

Episode 23: PESCE

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/06/30

From Latin PISCISESSERE SANO COME UN PESCE - to be as healthy as a fishNUOTARE COME UN PESCE - to swim like a fish, to be a perfect swimmerNON ESSERE NE’ CARNE NE’ PESC - to be neither meat or fish, to be in between, to not have a specific flavor, personality, etcANDARE A FARE COMPAGNIA AI PESCI - to go keep company to the fish, to drownNON SAPERE CHE PESCI PRENDERE - literally not knowing which fish to catch, to fish, to have ran out of options, therefore being uncertain about a the

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5:18

Episode 22: CANE

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/06/23

From Latin CANISFIGLIO DI UNA CANE!! Son of a dog!!VITA DA CANI, dogs’ life, bad lifeLavorare, vivere, mangiare, dormire DA CANI — work, live, eat, sleep badlyFA UN FREDDO CANE, it’s damn cold, literally a dog kind of coldUN MALE CANE! - A dog's pain‘La gamba mi fa un male cane’ ‘My leg hurts like crazy’COME UN CANE BASTONATO, as a beaten dog ‘Quando gli ho detto potevo aiutarlo, Se n’è andato come un cane bastonato’ - ‘When I told him I couldn’t help him, he left like a beaten dog,

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4:35

Episode 21: TESTA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/06/17

From the late Latin ‘cranio, testa’, originally with the meaning of ‘shell, vase’, TESTA is the Italian for HEAD.La TESTA can be PICCOLA // GROSSA // A PERA // A PUNTA // BIANCA // PELATA // BIONDA // RICCIUTATESTA DURA — hard head, stubborn TESTA DI CAVOLO! TESTA DI C****! — CAULIFLOWER/ D*** HEAD!RIEMPIRE LA TESTA, To fill the head with something ‘Mi ha riempito la testa di stupidaggini’ —‘He filled my head with stupid things’DARE ALLA TESTA, to go to one’s head ‘Il successo gli ha dato

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5:15

Episode 20: PIEDE

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/06/09

PIEDEFrom Latin PES, PEDIS, it’s the Italian for FOOT!UN PIEDE can be LUNGO// CORTO// STRETTO// LARGOAI PIEDI DEL MONTE // COLLE at the foot of the hill IN PIEDI = Standing, on your feetA PIEDI = by foot, walking‘Tutti in piedi!’ — ‘Everyone stand!’,‘Non mi reggo in piedi’ — ‘I can’t hold my self up’, said someone after one too many drinksIN PUNTA DI PIEDI — On tiptoe ‘Se n’è andato in punta di piedi, non l’ho nemmeno sentito uscire!’ — ‘He walked out on tiptoe, I didn’t even hear him

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8:13

Episode 19: BOCCA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/06/02

BOCCA From the Latin BUCCA = cheek, it then acquired the new meaning of MOUTHLa bocca, can be LARGA // STRETTA // REGOLARE //CHE ARRIVA AGLI ORECCHI, mouth that opens up to the earsCHE PARE UN FORNO, which looks like a oven SDENTATA, with no teethWe have expressions like:A BOCCA PIENA , with a mouth fullACQUA IN BOCCA! Water in your mouth — don’t spill the beans, don’t share this secret! BOCCONE, a bite of something ‘Mangio un boccone a casa e arrivo’‘I’ll grab a quick bite at home and I’ll

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5:46

Episode 18: GAMBA

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/05/25

From Latin CAMBA, Greek cambè, which means curve, articulation. Le gambe (plural) can be LUNGHE // CORTE // SOTTILI // DRITTE // STORTE FORTI // DEBOLI // ROBUSTE ESSERE IN GAMBA, literally ‘to be in your legs’, to be in good health, strong, a very capable person!‘Conosci Francesca? E’ davvero una ragazza in gamba: non solo va all’ Università, ha anche due lavori!’ —‘Francesca is really smart: not only she goes to College, she also has two jobs!’PRENDERE SOTTO GAMBA, to let things under

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4:25

Episode 17: GIALLO & NERO

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/04/12

GIALLO GIALLO = yellow, from French JAUNEGIALLO can be LIMONE (lemon)/ ORO (gold)/ ZAFFERANO (saffron) / CANARINO (canary).We also use GIALLO to talk about a LIBRO GIALLO or a FILM GIALLO (a yellow book or yellow movie) meaning a DETECTIVE STORY (mystery, crime). It comes from a long-running series of pulp crime-mystery novels known as 'Il Giallo Mondadori', named such for their bright yellow covers and the name of the publisher behind them, which directly led to the birth of the Giallo

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3:20

Episode 16: ROSSO

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/04/05

ROSSOROSSO: a fantastic color.Il colore della passioneMATITA or PENNA ROSSA = Red pencil o penSEMAFORO ROSSO = Red traffic lightVINO ROSSO = Red wineROSSO come il FUOCO = Red as fireROSSO = PALLIDO (pale), ACCESO (bright), FIAMMEGGIANTE (flaming) ROSSO COME UN PEPERONE = as red as a bell pepper or come UN POMODORO = as a tomato.ROSSETTO = lipstickREGIONI ROSSE (red regions)n and PARTITI ROSSI (red parties) to indicate their left, far-left, communist affiliation'ROSSO DI SERA, BEL TEMPO SI

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4:27

Episode 15: BIANCO

Il tempo di un Caffe" - Thoughts on Italian Words ·

2023/03/23

BIANCOFrom the German BLANK (connected with the word BLANK in English) = white, untouched, blank.BIANCO COME LA NEVEBIANCO COME IL LATTE BIANCO COME UN CENCIO, as white as a rug MOSCA BIANCA, white flyVOCE BIANCA// VOCI BIANCHE, kids voices, falsettosUNA SETTIMANA BIANCA, white week literally, is a skiing weekDARE CARTA BIANCA, to give a white card, to give somebody full freedom to operate as they likeBIANCHERIA, linens and bed sheetsBIANCHERIA INTIMA, underwear.CORRECTION!!BIANCONE,

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