noun
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the official language of Italy and one of the official languages of Switzerland: the native language of approximately 60 million people. It belongs to the Romance group of the Indo-European family, and there is a considerable diversity of dialects
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a native, citizen, or inhabitant of Italy, or a descendant of one
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See Italian vermouth
adjective
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of Italian with an initial sound (pronounced like the word eye ) and often with level stress on the first and second syllables: is heard primarily from uneducated speakers. This pronunciation is sometimes facetious or disparaging in purpose and is usually considered offensive.
Other Word Forms
- Italianesque adjective
- anti-Italian adjective
- half-Italian adjective
- non-Italian adjective
- pro-Italian adjective
- pseudo-Italian adjective
Etymology
Origin of Italian
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word Italiānus. See Italy, -an
Compare meaning
How does italian compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“As an Italian and European, I’ve always been lucky because my generation was never involved in a war,” he said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said it would be consulting allies and regional leaders to support efforts to ease tensions.
From BBC
These are two Europeans: Miriam, a deeply feeling, moody, beautiful Jewish-British painter with a mysterious past; and Donatello, an Italian Bacchus who closely resembles the ancient Greek sculptor Praxiteles’ “Faun.”
Italian company Leonardo's plant in Yeovil, Somerset, had been left in limbo after a planned visit by Defence Secretary John Healey to award the contract was cancelled on Thursday.
From BBC
In research published in the Italian Journal of Geosciences, he argues that scientists may have overlooked a crucial factor when comparing dinosaurs with modern mammals.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
