List of English words of Italian origin

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:

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Music

Main article: Italian musical terms used in English

A cappella
Acciaccatura
Adagio
Allegretto
Allegro
Alto
Andante
Appoggiatura
Aria
Arpeggio
Ballerina and Prima ballerina
Baritone (from Italian baritono - from Greek βαρύτονος - through French)
Bass (from Latin bassus, influenced by Italian basso)
Basso
Bel canto
Bravo
Bravura
Brio
Cadenza
Cantata
Castrato
Celesta
Cello (from Italian violoncello)
Coda
Coloratura
Concert (from Italian concerto through French)
Concertante
Concerto
Continuo
Contralto
Contrapuntal (Italian: contrappuntistico)
Cornetto
Crescendo
Diminuendo
Diva
Duet (from Italian duetto through French)
Duo
Falsetto
Fantasia
Fermata
Fiasco (whose Italian basic meaning is "flask, bottle")
Finale
Forte
Fortissimo
Glissando
Impresario
Intermezzo
Largo
Legato
Librettist (Italian: librettista)
Libretto
Madrigal (Italian: madrigale)
Maestro
Mandolin (from Italian mandolino through French)
Mezzo-soprano (in Italian without hyphen)
Obbligato
Oboe
Ocarina
Opera
Operetta
Oratorio
Pianissimo
Piano
Piccolo (in Italian means "small")
Pizzicato
Presto
Prima ballerina
Prima donna
Quartet (from Italian quartetto through French)
Quintet (Italian: quintetto)
Scherzo (in Italian means "joke")
Semibreve
Sextet (Italian: sestetto)
Sol-fa, Solfa, Solfeggio, Solfège (the last one through French)
Solo (in Italian means "alone")
Soloist (Italian: solista)
Sonata
Soprano
Sotto voce (in Italian literally means "under voice", i.e. "whisper")
Staccato
Tarantella after the city of Taranto
Tempo (in Italian means "time")
Timpani (Italian timpano, pl. timpani)
Toccata
Tremolo
Trio
Trombone
Vibrato
Viola
Violin (from Italian violino through French)
Violoncello
Virtuoso

Art and architecture

Antics (from Italian antico, meaning "old, ancient")
Apartment (from Italian appartamento through French appartement)
Arabesque (from Italian arabesco through French arabesque)^[1]
Architrave
Archivolt (Italian: archivolto)
Balcony (from Italian balcone)
Bas-relief (from Italian bassorilievo through French)
Belvedere (in Italian means a view point)
Bust (from Italian busto through French)
Cameo (Italian: cammeo)
Campanile
Caricature (from Italian caricatura through French)
Carton (from Italian cartone through French)
Cartoon (from Italian cartone through French)
Chiaroscuro: From chiaro-oscuro, "light-dark". An art technique making strong use of bold stadow and harsh lighting^[2]
Corridor (from Italian corridoio through French)
Cupola
Dado (in Italian meaning "dice")
Fresco (Italian: affresco from the expression a fresco)
Gesso
Graffiti (Italian: graffito, pl. graffiti)
Grotto (in Italian grotta, meaning "cave")
Impasto
Intaglio
Loggia (from French loge)
Madonna (in Medieval Italian meant Lady, in Modern Italian indicates Mary the Virgin)
Magenta called after the Italian town
Mezzanine (Italian mezzanino, from mezzano "middle")
Modello (Italian modello, "model, sketch")
Moresco
Parapet (from Italian parapetto through French)
Patina
Patio
Pergola
Piazza
Pietà (in Italian means "pity")
Portico
Putto (Italian putto, "baby", "cherub")
Replica (in Italian means "repeat performance")
Sgraffito (Italian "graffiare", "to scratch, write")
Stucco (in Italian means "plaster")
Tempera
Terra-cotta (in Italian without hyphen)
Terrazza (in Italian means "terrace", "balcony")
Torso
Veranda
Villa

Literature and language

Canto From canto "song," originally from Latin. A section of a long or epic poem ^[3]
Ditto (Old Italian for "said")
Lingua franca (Italian lingua Franca, "Frankish language"). Its usage to mean a common tongue originated from its meaning in Arabic and Greek during the Middle Ages, whereby all Western Europeans were called "Franks" or Faranji in Arabic and Phrankoi in Greek.^[4]^[5]
Motto (Italian motto, "word")^[6]
Novel (Italian novella, "tale")
Ottava rima
Rodomontade (From Rodomonte, a character in Italian Renaissance epic poems Orlando innamorato and its sequel Orlando furioso).^[7]
Sestina
Sonnet (From Italian sonetto through French)
Stanza

Theatre and dramatic arts

Cantastoria: From canta historia, "sung story" or "singing history". A theatrical form^[8] In modern Italian: cantastorie.
Extravaganza (in Italian stravaganza, meaning "extravagance")
Finale, Series finale
Imbroglio (in Italian means "cheat")
Punch (from the Italian character Pulcinella)
Scenario (in Italian also meaning "scenery")^[9]
Sotto voce (Italian sottovoce, "under voice")

Arts in general and aesthetics

Burlesque (from Italian burlesco through French)
Capriccio: From capriccio, "sudden motion". In music, a free composition; in art, a juxtaposing of elements toc reate a fantastic or imagined architecture^[10]
Cinquecento (Italian Cinquecento from millecinquecento, "1500") The culture of the 16th century^[11]
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^[12]
Studio

Colours

Orange^[13]
Lava (color)
Magenta^[14]
Rosso corsa
Sepia (Italian: seppia, meaning "cuttlefish")
Sienna (Italian terra di Siena, "dirt of Siena")
Terra cotta (color)
Umber (from Latin umbra, "shadow", and the region of its origin, Umbria)

Cuisine

Al dente
Al fresco
Antipasto
Artichoke from articiocco, Northern Italian variant of Old Italian arcicioffo^[15]
Baguette (through French baguette from Italian bacchetta)^[16]^[17]
Banquet (from Italian banchetto through French)
Barista: From barista, "bartender". A preparer of espresso-based coffee^[18]
Bergamot (Italian: bergamotto)
Biscuit (through French from Italian biscotto, meaning "cooked twice")
Bologna after the Italian city
Bruschetta
Broccoli (Italian: broccolo, pl. broccoli)
Candy :from Middle English sugre candy, part translation of Middle French sucre candi, from Old French çucre candi, part translation of Italian zucchero candito, from zucchero sugar + Arabic قاندل qandI candied, from Persian قند qand cane sugar; ultimately from Sanskrit खुड् khanda="piece of sugar," perhaps from Dravidian.^[19]
Cannelloni (Italian: cannellone, pl. cannelloni)
Cantaloupe (after the Italian village of Cantalupa through French; in Italian the fruit is simply called melone or "Cantalupo")
Cappuccino: From cappuccino, "little hood" or "Capuchin". A reference to the similarity between the drink's colour and that of the brown hoods of Capuchin friars^[20]
Cauliflower (originally cole florye, from Italian cavolfiore meaning "flowered cabbage"^[21]
Chipolata (from Italian cipolla, meaning "onion")
Ciabatta (whose Italian basic meaning is "slipper")
Coffee (from Italian caffè, from Turkish kahveh, and Arabic qahwah, perhaps from Kaffa region of Ethiopia, a home of the plant)^[22]
Espresso (from espresso, "expressed")
Fava
Fusilli (Italian fuso, "spindle")
Gelatine (from Italian gelatina through French)
Gnocchi (Italian: gnocco, pl. gnocchi)
Gorgonzola after the village near Milan
Granita
Grappa
Gusto
Lasagne (Italian: lasagna, pl. lasagne)
Latte (or "Caffè latte") (Italian: caffelatte, "milk coffee")
Latte macchiato (Italian latte macchiato, "stained milk")
Macaroni (Italian maccherone, pl. maccheroni)
Macchiato (or Caffè macchiato) From macchiato, "stained". Espresso coffee with a small dash of milk^[23]
Maraschino
Marinate (Italian: marinare)
Marzipan (through German from Italian marzapane)
Martini cocktail named after the famous brand of vermouth
Minestrone
Mozzarella (from Italian mozzare, "to cut")
Muscat (through French from Italian moscato)
Orange (through French from Italian arancia, from Arabic naranj)^[24]^[25]
Panini (Italian: panino, pl. panini)
Parmesan (through French from Italian parmigiano, meaning "from the city of Parma")
Pasta
Pepperoni (from Italian peperone, pl. peperoni, meaning "bell pepper")
Pesto (from Italian pestare, "to crush (with mortar and pestle)")^[26]
Pistachio (Italian: pistacchio)
Pizza
Pizzeria
Polenta
Provolone
Radicchio
Ravioli
Risotto
Salami (Italian: salame, pl. salami)
Salumi (Italian pl. of salume, "salted meat")
Scampi (Italian: scampo, pl. scampi)
Semolina (Italian: semolino)
Sfogliatelle (Italian sfogliatelle, "many layers")
Sorbet (through French from Italian sorbetto, which in turn comes from Turkish, Persian and Arabic)
Spaghetti (Italian: spaghetto, pl. spaghetti)
Spumoni (Italian: spumone, pl. spumoni)
Sultana (in Italian is the female of "sultan"; the grape is called sultanina)
Tagliatelle (Italian tagliare, "to cut")
Tortellini (Italian tortellino, pl. tortellini)
Trattoria
Tutti frutti
Vermicelli
Vino
Zucchini (Italian: zucchina, pl. zucchine)

Clothes, accessories, furniture

Baldachin (from Italian baldacchino; Baldacco is an old Italian name for Baghdad)
Brocade (from Italian broccato through Spanish)
Costume (through French)
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 means "thick 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

Archipelago (through Italian arcipelago, from Greek "arkhipélagos")
Lagoon (Italian: laguna)
Littoral (Italian: litorale)
Marina (from Italian "mare", "sea")
Riviera (from Italian "riviera", coming from Latin ripa, "coastline")
Sirocco (Italian: scirocco, from Arabic)

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

territories named after Italian explorers:

America after Amerigo Vespucci
Colombia after Christopher Columbus
British Columbia after Christopher Columbus

Commerce and finance

Bank (Italian: banco or banca) ^[27]
Bankrupt (Italian: bancarotta) ^[28]
Capitalism (from Italian capitale)
Carat / karat (from Italian carato - from Arabic - through French) ^[29]
Cartel (through French and German, from Italian cartello, meaning "poster") ^[30]
Cash (from Italian cassa through French caisse and Provençal) ^[31]
Credit (from Italian credito through French) ^[32]
Del credere (Italian: star del credere)
Ducat (from Italian ducato, whose main meaning is "duchy") ^[33]
Florin (through French from Italian fiorino) ^[34]
Finance (from Italian affinare, meaning 'do something precisely' in economy)
Lira ^[35]
Lombard (through French, from Italian lombardo meaning an inhabitant of Lombardy) ^[36]
Mercantile (through French) ^[37]
Management (from Italian mano for "maneggiamento", meaning "hand" for 'handlement') ^[38]
Merchandise (from Italian merce)
Money (from Italian Moneta)
Post (from Italian Posta through French "Poste"^[39])

Military and weaponry

Arsenal (Italian: arsenale, from Arabic)
Brigade (through French from Italian brigata)
Brigand (through French from Italian brigante)
Cannon (through French from Italian cannone)
Cavalier (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 (engraving tool)")
Stratagem (through French stratagème from Italian stratagemma, in its turn from Latin and Greek)
Venture (Italian: ventura)

Crime and immorality

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 in English language. Assassin and assassination to 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)
Bandit (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

Doge
Discrimination (from Italian discriminazione)
Embassy (through French embassée from Italian ambasciata)
Fascism (Italian: fascismo)
Fascist (Italian: fascista)
Ghetto
Machiavellian and Machiavellianism after Niccolò Machiavelli
Manifesto (in Italian means "poster")
Nuncio (Italian: nunzio)
Politico (in Italian means "politician")
Segregation (from Italian "segregazione")
Sociology (from Italian "sociologia")

Love and sex

Bimbo (from Italian bimbo, "child")
Casanova
Dildo (from Italian diletto, meaning "pleasure")
Inamorata (from Italian innammorata, a female lover)
Lothario (Italian: Lotario; however, in Italian it is a first name, but it doesn't mean "lady-killer")
Ruffian (Italian: m. ruffiano, f. ruffiana)

Science and nature

Belladonna
Cascade (from Italian cascata through French)
Flu (from influenza)
Influenza
Lava
Lazaret (Italian: lazzaretto)
Manganese^[40]
Malaria
Medico
Neutrino
Parma violet (Italian: violetta di Parma, after the city of Parma)
Pellagra
Quarantine (Italian: quarantena)
Tarantula (through Medieval Latin from Italian tarantola, after the city of Taranto)
Volcano (Italian: vulcano derived from the name of Vulcano, a volcanic island in the Aeolian Islands)
Zebra (through Portuguese)
Zero

words after Italian scientist names:

Eustachian tube after Bartolomeo Eustachi
Fermium after Enrico Fermi
Fibonacci series after Leonardo Fibonacci
Galvanic after Luigi Galvani
Galvanize after Luigi Galvani
Volt after Alessandro Volta

Religion, rituals, holidays

Biretta (Italian: berretta)
Camerlengo
Carnival (through French from Italian carnevale)
Confetti (from Italian confetto, pl. confetti, meaning "dragée"; in Italian confetti are called coriandoli)
Intaglio (burial mound) (from the art usage)
Masquerade (through French from Italian mascherata)
Monsignor (Italian: monsignore)
Padre (in Italian means "father")
Promession (Italian promessa, "promise")

Games and sports

Catenaccio: From catenaccio, "door-bolt". A defensive tactic in association football^[41]
Curva, a curved stadium grandstand
Fianchetto (Italian fianchetto, "little flank") A chess tactic
Lottery (Italian: lotteria)
Tarot (through French) and Taroc (Italian tarocco)
Tifo and Tifosi (literally meaning "typhus"; Italian tifosi, "sports fans", "supporters")
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

Armature (through Italian plural armature in English = rebar that's short for reinforcing bar)
Berlinetta: From berlinetta, "little saloon". A two-seater sports car^[42]
Bravado (through French bravade from Italian bravata)
Brave (through French from Italian bravo)
Capisci ("understand", often misspelled kapish, or kapeesh)
Ciao: From ciao, an informal greeting or valediction, originally from Venetian sciavo, "(your humble) servant". Goodbye.^[43]
Cognoscente (in Italian conoscitore)
Dilemma (in Italian means "alternativa tra due posizioni inaccettabili")
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 the Latin "lavatrina" )
Lido (in Italian means "coast", usually "sandy coast")
Lipizzan (Italian: lipizzano)
Major-domo (Italian maggiordomo)
Mizzen (through French misaine from Italian mezzana)
Paparazzi (Italian paparazzi, plural of paparazzo, the name of a character in the film La Dolce Vita)
Poltroon (through French poltron from Italian poltrone)
Pronto
Regatta (Italian: regata)
Vendetta (in Italian means "vengeance")
Vista (in Italian means "sight")
Viva

Sources

D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary
Wiktionary

Notes

References

↑ Harper Collins, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=chiaroscuro
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=canto
↑ 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-).
↑ Douglas Harper Etymology Dictionary (2001)
↑ http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/motto
↑ http://www.worldwidewords.org/weirdwords/ww-rod1.htm
↑ "Cantastoria: Centuries-Old Performance Style Making a Comeback", The L Magazine. 21 June 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2013
↑ http://www.myetymology.com/english/scenery.html
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Capriccio
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Cinquecento
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Quattrocento
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Orange
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Magenta
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=artichoke&allowed_in_frame=0
↑ http://www.cnrtl.fr/etymologie/baguette
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=baguette
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=barista
↑ Harper, Douglas. "candy". Online Etymology Dictionary.
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Cappuccino
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=cauliflower
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=coffee
↑ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/macchiato
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Orange
↑ "orange n.1 and adj.1". Oxford English Dictionary online. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-30.(subscription required)
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=pesto&searchmode=none
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010
↑ Le Petit Robert
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=Manganese
↑ "Catenaccio" at worldsoccer.com
↑ Laban, Brian. The Ultimate History of Ferrari. Bath: Parragon, 2002. ISBN 978-0-7525-8873-5.
↑ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=ciao

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