We Stole That from the Italians Quiz

Answer: Artichoke

The word artichoke entered the English language from the Lombard (an Italian dialect) word for stump, "ciocco". The Lombard word for the vegetable is "articioc". How the word for stump came to mean artichoke is unknown but it might refer to the appearance of the artichoke looking somewhat like rough tree bark.

Answer: Jeans

Jeans get their named from the Italian city of Genoa where jean fabric was first produced hundreds of years ago. Genoa, the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, is located in northern Italy, which was once dominated by the textile industry. Ironically, the Italian word for jeans is also jeans, meaning that English got the word from Italian, but Italian also borrowed the word from English.

Answer: Novel

The word novel (as in a piece of writing) comes from the Italian word "novella" which means tale or short story. Despite popular belief, it does not come from the Latin word "novellus" or the French word "novel", which means new. The English adjective novel (meaning original) does come from the Latin and French words for new.

Answer: Bankrupt

The word bankrupt comes from the Italian phrase "banca rotta", which means broken bench or broken bank. It referred to the way out-of-business moneylenders would literally break the benches to show they were no longer lending money.

Answer: Bimbo

In Italian, there is a slang word for a male child called "bimbo". Typically, it means a playful or rambunctious boy. In English, the word bimbo came to mean any fool or person of less-than-average intelligence. It also is slang for a promiscuous female.

Answer: Mozzarella

The famous Italian cheese mozzarella gets its name from the Italian word "mozzare" which means to cut. It refers to a step in the production of the cheese when the curds are cut.

Answer: Piano

Technically, the true name for the musical instrument called a piano is pianoforte or, less common, fortepiano. Both words are a combination of the Italian words soft ("piano") and loud or strong ("forte"). It is so named because the piano can produce a wide range of sounds (both in pitch and in volume), which was a novelty at the time of its invention in the 18th century.

Answer: Ravioli

Ravioli are a type of stuffed pasta which are usually square-shaped. The word ravioli comes from the Italian word "rava" which means turnip. The "-ioli" suffix means tiny, so ravioli literally means tiny turnips, a reference to how they look similar to the root vegetable.

The word ravioli is plural. The singular form of the word is raviolo in both English and Italian. It is incorrect to say raviolis.

Answer: Veranda

The English word veranda is just a direct translation from the Italian (and Portuguese) word for porch, "veranda". Typically speaking, verandas are more decorative and fancier than a typical porch and are usually found in mansions and other expensive homes.

Answer: Ghetto

The word ghetto comes from the Venetian dialect word "gheto", which means foundry. Foundries were walled off areas were metal is cast. During World War II, Jewish people were forced to live in ghettos, which were walled off, isolated areas. An alternative suggested etymology is from the Italian word "borghetto" meaning little village. In modern English, ghetto is a slang word for parts of large cities that have high crime rates and are not well-developed, usually inhabited by people on very low incomes.

The word ghetto has existed since the 17th century but it did not take on its current meaning until the Jewish ghettos were established on the outset of World War II.