Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cestino | /t͡ʃesˈti.no/ | masculine |
| cesto | /ˈt͡ʃes.to/ | masculine |
| canestro | /kaˈnɛs.tro/ | masculine |
| cesta | /ˈt͡ʃes.ta/ | feminine |
| paniere | /paˈnjɛ.re/ | masculine |
The word refers to various types of containers. A common phrase is cestino della carta, which is the standard way to refer to a wastepaper basket or small trash bin.
Which one should you use?
cestino is the diminutive of cesto and is typically used for smaller baskets, such as a picnic basket or a wastepaper basket. In a sports context, canestro specifically refers to the basket used in the sport of basketball. Finally, paniere is often used figuratively in economics to refer to a 'basket' of goods or a consumer price index basket.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine plural of cesto is cesti, the feminine plural of cesta is ceste and the masculine plural of cestino is cestini.
How do you pronounce it?
cestino is pronounced /tʃesˈti.no/. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word cestino is often used in Italian computer terminology to describe the 'recycle bin' or 'trash' on a desktop.
- The Italian word canestro is a distant relative of the English word 'canister'. Both share a common ancestor in the Latin canistrum and the Ancient Greek kánastron.
- In Italian, canestro refers to both the physical hoop and the act of scoring a basket. A player does not just 'score' but 'makes a canestro'.
Examples in context
- C'è un buco nel cestino.There's a hole in the basket.This sentence is useful for describing a hole in a cestino.Tatoeba #10452841 by Guybrush88, translation #10151031 by ddnktr
- Le uova sono nel cestino.The eggs are in the basket.This sentence shows how to use cestino when talking about eggs.Tatoeba #3377956 by Guybrush88, translation #3377878 by CM
- Metti tutto nella mia cesta.Put everything in my basket.This sentence is used to demonstrate the use of cesta.Tatoeba #1506145 by Guybrush88, translation #273825 by CK
- Ho bisogno di un cesto per raccogliere la frutta.I need a basket to collect the fruit.
- Mi serve un cestello per raccogliere la biancheria.I need a laundry basket to collect the clothes.
- Ho comprato un cestino per fare un pic-nic.I bought a small basket for a picnic.
- 56 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofia and Lorenzo are organizing a picnic in the park.
- SofiaHai preso il cestino per il picnic?Did you take the basket for the picnic?
- LorenzoSì, è nel bagagliaio della macchina.Yes, it is in the car trunk.
- SofiaPerfetto, allora andiamo subito.Perfect, let's go right away.
- LorenzoAspetta, prendo anche il cestino per il pane.Wait, I'll grab the bread basket too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “basket” translations and entries cestino, cesto, canestro, cesta, paniere, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries canestro, cesta, cestino, cesto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
