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 (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
 * 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)

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')
 * 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