Italian–English dictionary

legna da ardere

Wood intended to be burned, typically for heat.

legnaia

An enclosed, roofed structure, often an outbuilding, used primarily to store firewood.

legname

(North America) Wood sawn into planks or otherwise prepared for sale or use, especially as a building material. [from 17th c.]

legni

(music) A woodwind instrument.

legno

(uncountable) Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood.

legno di latifoglia

(countable, mostly in botany and forestry) The wood from any dicotyledonous tree, without regard to its hardness.

legno di nocciolo

(uncountable) The wood of a hazelnut tree.

legno di pino

(uncountable) The wood of a pine.

legno di quercia

(uncountable) The wood of the oak.

legnolo

A small bundle, as of straw or other like substance; any slender, flexible structure or group.

leguleio

An unscrupulous or unethical lawyer, especially one of lesser skill.

legume

(botany) The fruit or seed of leguminous plants (as peas or beans) used for food.

lei

The form of she used after a preposition, as the object of a verb, or (colloquial) as a subject with a conjunction; that woman, that ship, etc, or (dialect) as a subject without a conjunction.

lei stessa

(emphatic) She; an intensifier of the female subject or object, often used to indicate the directness or exclusiveness of that person .

lembo

A rim or margin of something.

lembo bordo margine

(astronomy) The apparent visual edge of a celestial body.

lemma

An item in a list, such as an article in a dictionary or encyclopedia.

lemure

Any of the genus Lemur, represented by the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta).

lena

(countable) A single act of breathing in or out; a breathing of air.

lendine

The egg of a louse.

lene

Gentle and not easily angered.

Lenin

Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, a Russian revolutionary and politician.

Leningrado

(historical) Former name of Saint Petersburg: a major city in Russia, from the time of Lenin's death in 1924 until 1991.

leninista

Of or relating to Leninism.

lenire

To put an end to (a nuisance).

lenitivo

(pharmacology) Any medicine, such as aspirin, that reduces pain, especially without inducing a loss of other sensation. (Contrast anesthetic.)

lenocinio

The practise of managing and hiring out prostitutes.

lenone

A pimp.

lenta

Taking a long time to move or go a short distance, or to perform an action; not quick in motion; proceeding at a low speed.

lentamente

(manner) At a slow pace.

lente

(optics) An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.

lentezza

The quality or state of being slow.

lenticchia

(biology) A genus of the legume family; its bean.

lentiggine

A small brownish or reddish pigmentation spot on the surface of the skin.

lentille

(optics) An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.

lentisco

An evergreen shrub or small tree, Pistacia lentiscus (mastic tree), native to the Mediterranean.

lento

Loose; not tight or taut.

lenzuolo piano

The top sheet of a bed.

Leo

A en given name, borne by numerous saints and 14 popes.

leonado

Of a light brown to brownish orange colour; orangey brown tinged with gold.

Leonardo

A surname transferred from the given name.

Leone

A en given name, borne by numerous saints and 14 popes.

leonessa

A female lion (animal).

leopardo

Panthera pardus, a large wild cat with a spotted coat native to Africa and Asia, especially the male of the species (in contrast to leopardess).

Leopoldo

A en given name. Used in the 19th century but rare today.

lepade

A marine crustacean of the subclass Cirripedia that attaches itself to submerged surfaces such as tidal rocks or the bottoms of ships.

lepidezza

the quality of being witty

lepidità

the quality of being witty

lepre

A male deer, antelope, sheep, goat, rabbit, hare, and sometimes the male of other animals such as the hamster, ferret, shad and kangaroo.

lepre femmina

A female hare.

leprecauno

(Irish folklore) One of a race of elves that can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch them.

leprechaun

(Irish folklore) One of a race of elves that can reveal hidden treasure to those who catch them.

lercio

Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime.

lesbica

(of a woman, broadly) Preferring primarily women as romantic or sexual partners.

lesbico

(of a woman) Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.

lesina

A pointed instrument for piercing small holes, as in leather or wood; used by shoemakers, saddlers, cabinetmakers, etc. The blade is differently shaped and pointed for different uses, as in the brad awl, saddler's awl, shoemaker's awl, etc.

lesione

The violation of a person's reputation, rights, property, or interests.

lesivo

Causing damage; harmful, injurious.

lessare

(ambitransitive) To cook in boiling water.

lessato

Cooked by poaching.

lessema

(linguistics) A lexical item corresponding to the set of all words (or of all multi-word expressions) that are semantically related through inflection of a particular shared basic form.

lessicale

(linguistics) Concerning the vocabulary, words, sentences or morphemes of a language.

lessico

A reference work listing words or names from one or more languages, usually ordered alphabetically, explaining each word's meanings or senses, oftentimes also containing information on its etymology, pronunciation, usage, semantic relations, translations, as well as other relevant information. [ca. 1480]

lesto

Lively, fast-thinking, witty, intelligent.

lestofante

A cheat; a con artist.

letale

Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.

letame

(uncountable) Manure; animal excrement.

letargo

(biology, sleep) A state of minimum power consumption, inactivity and metabolic depression in some animals during winter.

Lete

(Greek mythology) The personification of oblivion, daughter of Eris.

Letizia

A en given name, popular in medieval England; rather rare today.

lettera

A symbol in an alphabet.

lettera dell'alfabeto

A symbol in an alphabet.

letterale

Exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather than idiomatic.

letteralmente

With phrasings that might normally be used or understood as figurative: truly; not figuratively; not as an idiom or metaphor.

letterato

Having much learning, knowledgeable, erudite; highly educated.

lettiera

(uncountable) Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. [1325]

lettiga

(countable, obsolete) A bed, especially a pile of straw with blankets &c. used as a bed.

lettino

(UK, Irish, Commonwealth) A bed for infants or small children, with high, often slatted, often moveable sides.

lettino a sponde alte

(US) A baby’s bed with high, often slatted, often moveable sides, suitable for a child who has outgrown a cradle or bassinet.

lettino da spiaggia

A chair made for lounging.

letto

(hydrology) The path where a river runs, or where a river once ran; the bottom earthen part of a river, not including the riverbanks.

letto a castello

One of a series of berths or beds placed in tiers.

letto della fornace

The lowest part of a metallurgical furnace.

letto di morte

The bed on which someone dies.

lettone

Of, from, or pertaining to Latvia, the Latvian people or the Latvian language.

Lettonia

A country in northeastern Europe. Official name: Republic of Latvia.

lettore

(computer hardware) An apparatus for reading and writing data to or from a mass storage device such as a disk.

lettore ottico

A device which scans documents in order to convert them to a digital medium. [from 20th c.]

lettrice

(religion) A lay person who reads aloud certain religious texts in a church service.

lettura

(typography, Continental, _, printing) The Continental equivalent of the English pica: a measure of 12 Didot points (4.51368 mm or about 0.178 in.) or a body of type in this size.

leucemia

(oncology, pathology) Any of a class of types of cancer affecting the blood cells, especially the white blood cells (usually with massive leukocytosis), and the blood cell–forming (hematopoietic) tissues.

leucomielite

(pathology) Acute infection by the poliovirus, especially of the motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis and sometimes deformity.

leva

A person who has been drafted; a conscript or draftee.

leva di comando

A mechanical control device consisting of a handgrip mounted on a base or pedestal and typically having one or more buttons, used to control an aircraft, computer, or other equipment.

leva militare

A person who has been drafted; a conscript or draftee.

levachiodi

An iron or steel bar, often with a flattened end which may also be hook-shaped, to be used as a lever to manually force things apart.

levante

A personification of the wind from the east.

levar del sole

The time of day when the sun appears above the eastern horizon.

levare

(transitive) To remove; to omit.

levarsi in volo

(intransitive) To take suddenly to flight, especially from cover.

levata del sole

The time of day when the sun appears above the eastern horizon.

levatrice

(obstetrics) A person, usually a woman, who is trained to assist women in childbirth, but who is not a physician.

leveraggio

A force compounded by means of a lever rotating around a pivot.

levetta

A small such piece to trigger or control a mechanical device (like a switch or a button).

leviatano

(Bible, mythological creature) A vast sea monster of tremendous strength, either imaginary or real, described as the most dangerous and powerful creature in the ocean.

levigare

(transitive) To shine; to make a surface very smooth or shiny by rubbing, cleaning, or grinding.

levigatezza

Cleanliness; smoothness, shininess.

levigato

Without flaws, defects, or shortcomings; perfect.

levigatrice

A machine to mechanize the process of sanding.

levità

A lightness of manner or speech, frivolity; flippancy; a lack of appropriate seriousness; an inclination to make a joke of serious matters.

Levitico

The third of the Books of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible; the third book in the Torah.

levriere

A lean breed of dog used in hunting and racing.

levriero

A lean breed of dog used in hunting and racing.

lezione

(education, countable, and, uncountable) A group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher.

lezioso

Influenced or changed by something.

LGBT

Being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, or relating to these groups as a collective.

lì

(location) In or at a place or location (stated, implied or otherwise indicated) that is perceived to be away from, or at a relative distance from, the speaker (compare here).

Lia

(biblical character) The elder daughter of Laban, sister to Rachel, and first wife of Jacob.

liana

(botany) A climbing woody vine, usually tropical.

libagione

The act of pouring a liquid, most often wine, in sacrifice on the ground, on a ritual object, or on a victim, in honor of some deity.

libamento

The act of pouring a liquid, most often wine, in sacrifice on the ground, on a ritual object, or on a victim, in honor of some deity.

libanese

Of, from, or pertaining to Lebanon or the Lebanese people.

libbra

A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.

libello

A small or thin book.

libellula

An insect of the suborder Epiprocta or, more strictly, the infraorder Anisoptera, having four long transparent wings held perpendicular to a long body when perched.

liberale

(politics) Open to political or social changes and reforms associated with either classical or modern liberalism.

liberamente

In a free manner.

liberare

(transitive) To remove obstructions, impediments or other unwanted items from.

liberatore

A person who frees or liberates.

liberatoria

(law) A legal document removing some requirement, such as waiving a right (giving it up) or a waiver of liability (agreeing to hold someone blameless).

liberatrice

A person who frees or liberates.

liberazione

An escape from any restrictive or confining situation.

Liberia

A country in West Africa. Official name: Republic of Liberia.

libero

Free of obstacles.

libero muratore

A member of the Free and Accepted Masons (sometimes entitled Ancient Free and Accepted Masons), an international fraternal and charitable organization.

libero da preoccupazioni

Without cares or worries; free of concern or worries; without difficulty.

libero professionista

Someone who sells their services to clients without a long-term employment contract.

libertà

(countable) The lack of a specific constraint, or of constraints in general; a state of being free, unconstrained.

libertà provvisoria

(legal, UK) Release from imprisonment on payment of such money.

libertà vigilata

(legal) A type of sentence where convicted criminals are permitted to continue living in a community but will automatically be sent to jail if they violate certain conditions.

libertaria

(politics) One who advocates libertarianism; also, a member of a political party supporting libertarianism.

libertario

(politics) One who advocates libertarianism; also, a member of a political party supporting libertarianism.

libertino

Indulging in or characterised by sensual pleasures to a degree perceived to be morally harmful; corrupted; immoral; self-indulgent.

liberto

A former or emancipated slave.

Libia

(historical) Africa; that is, the part of North Africa known in classical antiquity.

libica

A person from Libya or of Libyan descent.

libico

Of, from, or pertaining to Libya.

libidine

A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.

libidinoso

Given to excessive sexual activity and debauchery.

libido

A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.