# 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:

## Music

* Acciaccatura
* Adagio
* Allegretto
* Allegro
* Alto
* Andante
* Appoggiatura
* Aria
* Arpeggio
* Assolo
* Ballerina and prima ballerina
* Baritone (from Italian baritono – from Greek βαρύτονος – through French)
* Bass (from Latin bassus, influenced by Italian basso)
* Basso
* Bel canto
* Biennale
* 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 (in Italian, it can also mean '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
* Ostinato
* Pianissimo
* Piano
* Piccolo (in Italian means 'small')
* Pizzicato
* Prestissimo
* 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 it literally means 'under the voice' i.e. 'in a low voice'; often written without spaces)
* 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)
* 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: cameo or 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 shadow and harsh lighting)
* 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 (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 sgraffiare '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)
* 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)
* Motto (Italian motto 'word')
* Novel (Italian novella 'tale')
* Ottava rima
* Rodomontade (from Rodomonte, a character in Italian Renaissance epic poems Orlando innamorato and its sequel Orlando furioso)
* Sestina
* Sonnet (from Italian sonetto through French)
* Stanza

## Theatre and dramatic arts

* Buffoon (from Italian buffone "jester" via French)
* Cantastoria (from canta historia 'sung story' or 'singing history', a theatrical form, in modern Italian: cantastorie)
* Commedia dell'arte
* Extravaganza (in Italian stravaganza, meaning 'extravagance')
* Finale, Series finale
* Imbroglio (in Italian means 'cheat')
* Mask (from Italian maschera though Middle French masque, from Medieval Latin masca 'mask, specter, nightmare'.
* Punch (from the Italian character Pulcinella)
* Scenario (in Italian also meaning 'scenery')
* Sotto voce (Italian sottovoce 'in a low 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 to create a fantastic or imagined architecture
* Cinquecento (Italian Cinquecento from millecinquecento '1500') The culture of the 16th century
* 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
* Studio

## Colours

* Orange
* Lava (color)
* Magenta
* Rosso corsa
* Sepia (from Italian seppia, meaning 'cuttlefish')
* Sienna (from Italian terra di Siena 'soil 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)
* Baguette (through French baguette from Italian bacchetta)
* Banquet (from Italian banchetto through French)
* Barista (from barista 'bartender'. A preparer of espresso-based coffee)
* 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)
* Cannelloni (Italian: cannellone, pl. cannelloni)
* Cantaloupe (after the Italian village of Cantalupo in Sabina through French; in Italian the fruit is simply called melone or Cantalupo)
* Canteen (from Italian cantina "wine cellar, vault" via French)
* 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)
* Cauliflower (originally cole florye, from Italian cavolfiore meaning 'flowered cabbage'
* Chianti
* 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)
* Espresso (from espresso 'expressed')
* Fava
* Frascati
* Fusilli (Italian: fusillo, pl. fusilli; a derivative form of the word fuso, meaning '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: caffellatte or caffè e latte 'coffee and milk')
* 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)
* 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)
* 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)')
* 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 sfogliatella, pl. sfogliatelle; from sfoglia 'thin layer')
* 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 (from 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)
* Desk (perhaps via Italian desco)
* 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 it means 'little stylus' and refers to a type of thin, needle-pointed 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)
* Terra rossa
Some toponyms of Latin, Greek, Slavic or Arabic origin referring to non-Italian places entered English through Italian:
* Aleppo
* Angora
* Cairo
* Crimea
* Monaco
* Monte Carlo
* Montenegro
* Negroponte
* Santorini
* Tripoli
* Valletta
* Vienna
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)
* Bankrupt (Italian: bancarotta)
* Carat / karat (from Italian carato – from Arabic – through French)
* Career (from Old Provençal or Italian carriera via French, ultimately of Gaulish origin)
* Cartel (through French and German, from Italian cartello, meaning 'poster')
* Cash (from Italian cassa through French caisse and Provençal)
* Credit (from Italian credito through French)
* Del credere (Italian: star del credere)
* Ducat (from Italian ducato, whose main meaning is 'duchy')
* Florin (through French from Italian fiorino)
* Lira
* Lombard (through French, from Italian lombardo meaning an inhabitant of Lombardy or also Northern Italy)
* Mercantile (through French)
* Management (from Italian mano for maneggiamento, meaning 'hand' for "handlement")
* Ponzi scheme (from Charles Ponzi)
* Post (from Italian posta through French poste)

## Military and weaponry

* Alert (from Italian à l'erte "on the watch" via French)
* Arsenal (Italian arsenale, from Arabic)
* Brigade (through French from Italian brigata)
* Brigand (through French from Italian brigante)
* Camouflage (from Italian camuffare "to disguise" via French)
* Cannon (through French from Italian cannone)
* Cavalier (from 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', an 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 into the English language. Assassin and assassination 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)
* Attack (from Florentine Italian attaccare via French)
* Bandit (from 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
* Fascism (Italian: fascismo)
* Fascist (Italian: fascista)
* Ghetto
* Machiavellian and Machiavellianism after Niccolò Machiavelli
* Manifesto (meaning 'poster' in Italian)
* Politico (meaning either 'political' or 'politician' in Italian)
* Propaganda

## Love and sex

* Bimbo (from Italian bimbo 'child')
* Casanova
* Dildo (from Italian diletto, meaning 'pleasure')
* Inamorata (from Italian innamorata, a female lover)
* Ruffian (Italian: m. ruffiano, f. ruffiana)

## Science and nature

* Antenna
* Belladonna
* Cascade (from Italian cascata through French)
* Flu (from influenza)
* Influenza
* Lava
* Lazaret (Italian: lazzaretto)
* Manganese
* Malaria
* Medico
* Neutrino
* Parma violet (Italian: violetta di Parma, after the city of Parma)
* Pellagra
* Quarantine (Italian: quarantena)
* Saliva
* 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, which in turn derives from Vulcanus, the Roman god of fire)
* Zebra (through Portuguese)
* Zero (from Arabic)
words after Italian scientist names:
* Avogadro constant after Amedeo Avogadro
* Eustachian tube after Bartolomeo Eustachi
* Fermion, Fermium, Fermi (unit), Fermi level after Enrico Fermi
* Fibonacci series after Leonardo Fibonacci
* Galilean transformation after Galileo Galilei
* Galvanic, Galvanize after Luigi Galvani
* Marconi rig after Guglielmo Marconi
* Lagrangian after Giuseppe Luigi Lagrangia
* Pareto distribution after Vilfredo Pareto
* Ricci curvature after Gregorio Ricci-Curbastro
* Torr after Evangelista Torricelli
* Venturi tube after Giovanni Battista Venturi
* 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

* Arcade (from Italian arcata "arch of a bridge" via French)
* Carousel (from Italian carusiello via French. Etymologically related to "car".)
* Catenaccio (from catenaccio 'door-bolt', a defensive tactic in association football)
* Curva (a curved stadium grandstand)
* Fianchetto (Italian fianchetto 'little flank', a chess tactic)
* Lottery (Italian: lotteria)
* Tarot (through French) and taroc (Italian tarocco)
* Tifo (literally meaning 'typhus') and tifosi (from Italian tifosi 'sports fans', 'supporters')
* Ultras (from Latin "ultra", fanatical fans)
* 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

* Antenna
* Armature (through Italian plural armature singular armatura, in English rebar, short for reinforcing bar)
* Balloon (from Italian pallone "large ball" from a Germanic source)
* Berlinetta (from berlinetta 'little saloon', a two-seater sports car)
* Bravado (through French bravade from Italian bravata)
* Brave (through French from Italian bravo)
* Capisce ('understand', third-person hortatory subjunctive form of capire, often misspelled kapish, or kapeesh)
* Ciao (from ciao, an informal greeting or valediction, originally from Venetian sciavo '(your humble) servant'
* de)
* Cognoscente (from Italian conoscente, Italian: conoscitore)
* Dilemma (Italian dilemma from Greek dilemmaton)
* 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 Latin lavatrina)
* Lido (in Italian means 'coast', usually 'sandy coast')
* Lipizzan (Italian: lipizzano)
* Major-domo (Italian: maggiordomo)
* Mizzen (through French misaine from Italian mezzana)
* Mustache (from Italian mostaccio via French and ultimately from Greek)
* Nostalgia (with the same meaning in Italian)
* Paparazzi (Italian paparazzi, plural of paparazzo, the name of a character in the film La Dolce Vita)
* Pococurante (from poco 'little' and curante 'caring')
* Poltroon (through French poltron from Italian poltrona)
* Pronto
* Regatta (Italian: regata)
* Vendetta (in Italian means 'vengeance')
* Vista (in Italian means 'sight')
* Viva

## Sources

* D. Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary