Along with Spanish, French, and Romanian, Italian is a member of the Romance language family. They all have similar Latin roots, which over the years had a significant impact on English language. The connections between Italian and English, however, go beyond only their shared Latin ancestry.
With the influx of Italian immigrants to the US in the early 20th century, a large number of Italian words were introduced lock, stock, and barrel, substantially enhancing the American language and culture.
Iniziamo! Let’s begin!
Influenza
IPA: /influˈɛntsa/
Entered English in the 18th century after an influenza epidemic broke out in Italy.
- English meaning: a contagious viral infection of the respiratory passages, often abbreviated to flu.
- Italian meaning: literally influence but can also refer to the respiratory infection
Stanza
IPA: /stàn·za/
Entered English in the late 16th century.
- English meaning: a recurring verse in a poem
- Italian meaning: a recurring verse in a poem; a room in a building
Extravaganza
IPA: /stra·va·gàn·za/
Entered English in the mid 18th century in reference to extravagant language or behaviour.
- English meaning: an elaborate entertainment or production
- Italian meaning: spelled stravaganza; bizzare, overindulgent or eccentric behaviour
Mafia
IPA: /mà·fia/
- English meaning: an organised international body of criminals based in Italy and the US; any organised group that acts like the Mafia
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning
Ghetto
IPA: /ˈɡetto/
Entered English in the early 17th century.
- English meaning: a part of the city occupied by minority groups, historically used in reference to the Jewish population; an isolated or segregated group or area
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning
Propaganda
IPA: /pro·pa·gàn·da/
- English meaning: misleading or biased information used to promote a point of view or political cause; a committee of Roman Catholic cardinals responsible for foreign missions
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning
Fiasco
IPA: /fià·sco/
Entered English in the 19th century.
- English meaning: a complete failure
- Italian meaning: to fail in a performance (figurative), a bottle or flask (literal)
Paparazzi
IPA: /pa·pa·ràz·zi/
Entered English in the 1960s from the film La Dolce Vita.
- English meaning: a group of freelance photographers who pursue celebrities to photograph them
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning
Graffiti
IPA: /ɡrafˈfi.ti/
Entered English in the mid 19th century.
- English meaning: a writing or drawing scratched or sprayed on to a public surface such as a wall
- Italian meaning: plural of graffito which means a piece of graffiti; also used in archaeology to refer to prehistoric art; the past participle of the verb graffiare (to scratch)
Opera
IPA: /ˈɔ.pe.ra/
Entered English in the mid 17th century.
- English meaning: a dramatic work with multiple acts set to music for singers and instrumentalists; the building where an opera is performed; a genre of classical music
- Italian meaning: a dramatic work with multiple acts set to music for singers and instrumentalists; a piece or work of art; a construction project; a creation
Ballerina
IPA: /bal·le·rì·na/
Entered English in the late 18th century.
In both Italian and English, the word ballerina has two parallel meanings.
- English meaning: The first one describes a female ballet dancer; The second meaning takes after the ballet shoes worn by the same ballerinas dancers—and by fashionistas (surprisingly, not an Italian word!) all around the world.
- Italian meaning: feminine of ballerino which means dancer, comes from the verb ballare (to dance); a kind of shoe
Masculine singular: ballerino| Plural: ballerini | Feminine plural: ballerine
Stiletto
IPA: /sti·lét·to/
Entered English in the early 17th century.
- English meaning: a woman’s shoe with a thin high heel; a short dagger with a tapering blade
- Italian meaning: only refers to the dagger; stiletto shoes are tacchi a spillo in Italian
Soprano
IPA: /so·prà·no/
Entered English in the mid 18th century.
- English meaning: the highest singing voice; a soprano singer; also used to describe instruments with a high pitch
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning; can also be used in geography to mean upper in reference to a place
Scenario
IPA: /ʃeˈnarjo/
Entered English in the late 19th century.
- English meaning: a written outline of the plot and scenes of a novel, film or stage work; a postulated sequence of events
- Italian meaning: scenery, view or landscape; a postulated sequence of events; backdrop or set of a film / theatrical performance
Diva
IPA: /dì·va/
Entered English in the late 19th century.
- English meaning: a famous female opera or pop singer; a temperamental person (usually a woman) who is difficult to please
- Italian meaning: the feminine singular of divo meaning celebrity; diva can also refer to a temperamental woman just as in English
Masculine singular: divo| Masculine plural: divi | Feminine plural: dive
Finale
IPA: /fiˈna.le/
In Italian, finale literally means “the end”, when used as a noun, or “final, conclusive”, when used as an adjective. In English, it only refers to the last part of a piece of music, TV show or event. “I can’t wait to see The Sopranos finale tonight!”
Entered English in the mid-18th century.
- English meaning: the last part of a piece of music or event
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning but it can also mean final, end, conclusive (ex. il capitolo finale = the final chapter)
Spaghetti
IPA: /spaˈɡetti/
Entered English in the late 19th century when Italian immigrants moved to America.
- English meaning: a noodle pasta; an Italian dish with noodle pasta and sauce
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning
Pizza
IPA: /ˈpit.tsa/
Entered English in the early 19th century but only became popular when Italians began immigrating to the United States and Canada.
English meaning: a dish of Italian origin consisting of flat dough, tomatoes and cheese as well as other ingredients
- English meaning: a dish of Italian origin consisting of flat dough, tomatoes and cheese as well as other ingredients
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning; can also be an expression of boredom (Che pizza! = How dull!); a film canister
Mozzarella
IPA: /mot.tsaˈrɛl.la/
- English meaning: a white Italian cheese made from buffalo or cow’s milk, often used as a topping on pizzas
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning; can also mean a very pale person or a couch potato
Panini
IPA: /pa·nì·ni/
Entered English in the mid 20th century.
- English meaning: a toasted sandwich made with Italian bread
- Italian meaning: the plural of panino, which means sandwich or bread roll
Attenzione: Singular: panino
Pepperoni
IPA: /pe·pe·ró·ni/
Entered English in the early 20th century.
- English meaning: a sausage seasoned with pepper; the pepperoni pizza is the classic American pizza
- Italian meaning: peperoni (spelled with one p) is the plural of peperone which means pepper (referring to the fruit of the capsicum plant)
Minestrone
IPA: /mi.neˈstro.ne/
- English meaning: a soup containing vegetables and pasta
- Italian meaning: identical meaning to the English; can also mean hodgepodge or melting pot. In a figurative sense, it means confusing or mess.
Pasta
IPA: /pà·sta/
Entered English in the late 19th century.
- English meaning: a dish from Italy consisting of dough made from durum wheat and water, which is stamped into various shapes and cooked in boiling water.
- Italian meaning: in addition to the English meaning, it can also refer to dough, paste or pastry. Figuratively it can mean temperament or character.
Gelato
IPA: /dʒeˈla.to/
- English meaning: an Italian style ice cream
- Italian meaning: ice cream; literally it means chilled
Broccoli
IPA: /ˈbrɔkkoli/
Entered English in the mid 17th century.
- English meaning: a variety of cabbage with heads of green or purplish flower buds
- Italian meaning: the plural of broccolo; same meaning as the English
Pistachio
IPA: /pisˈtak.kjo/
The late middle English pistace was superseded by the Italian pistaccio (now pistacchio) in the 16th century.
- English meaning: an edible green seed; also the tree that produces the seeds
- Italian meaning: identical to the English meaning; spelled pistacchio
This collection of terms—among many others—reflects the continuing considerable influence of Italian culture on the English language. What further Italian words are familiar to you? Comment below with your story!
