An Italian dictionary isn’t a dictionary that will contain only terms such as Spaghetti and Italian sausage. In the modern world it can be a dictionary in the Italian language, or a translator from Italian to other languages.
Some websites have an Italian dictionary which includes Italian words and then their English translations. When using these Italian dictionaries keep in mind that the Italian language only has 21 letters in its alphabet. It does not have the letter J, K, W, X or Y. So none of those letters can be used to look up words.
The Italian dictionary contains these words – let’s look. The a’s include abate which means abbot. This isn’t one half of a comedy team but rather the head of a monastery. Christianity and many other religions use the term. The title can also be given to a clergyman who is not necessarily the head of the monastery.
Another word in the Italian dictionary is antarctico. That’s Antarctic in English. It’s the continent furthest south. It’s on the South Pole. The word comes from the Greek meaning opposite to the north. That’s a good explanation.
In 1959 twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty. Now 46 countries and all have signed it. The treaty forbids mining or military action in the Antarctic. The treaty was made to protect the ecology in the area, as well as to promote scientific research. 4000 scientists work there. That information would more likely be found in an Encyclopedia.
The word Mafia isn’t found in the Italian dictionary. But the word malavita is. It means underworld. The Italian Mafia is also known as the Cosa Nostra. It’s a secret society with roots in Sicily. Its development was sometime in the mid-19th century. When Italians immigrated into the United States an offshoot of this organization was formed on the East Coast. The term mafia in America is used to refer to all Italian organized crime, rather than just Sicilian.
Autoritratto is found in the Italian dictionary. It means self portrait. Here the root auto can be seen in its meaning is clear – own self. Thus an automobile is something that moves on its own.
A look through an Italian dictionary can be quite interesting. The Italian language is rich in Latin and Greek roots that make our language work.
