telo da bagno
The English phrase "bath towel" is telo da bagno in Italian.
telo da bagno is used to refer to a towel specifically intended for drying the body.
Meaning: towel for drying the body (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of telo (cloth/sheet), da (for/of) and bagno (bath).
Which one should you use?
While telo da bagno refers specifically to a large bath towel, asciugamano is the more common, general word for a towel (often a hand towel).
Did you know?
- The word telo is a learned borrowing from the Latin word tēlum, which originally referred to a weapon or an object thrown, a sharp contrast to its modern meaning of a piece of cloth.
- Italian differentiates strictly between asciugamano, which literally means 'dry-hand', and telo da bagno, which is used for the whole body.
- The term telo can also refer to a tarp or a protective sheet used in construction or camping, far beyond the context of a bathroom.
Examples in context
- Potresti prestarmi un telo da bagno?Could you lend me a bath towel?This sentence is useful for requesting to borrow a telo da bagno.Tatoeba #8645286 by Guybrush88, translation #8625324 by ajje
- Mi presti il telo da bagno?Can you lend me the bath towel?
- Ho dimenticato il telo da bagno.I forgot the bath towel.
- Serve un telo da bagno pulito.A clean bath towel is needed.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Sofia are packing for a hotel trip.
- LorenzoHai preso il telo da bagno?Did you pack the bath towel?
- SofiaSì, l'ho messo in valigia.Yes, I put it in the suitcase.
- LorenzoPerfetto, allora siamo pronti.Perfect, then we are ready.
- SofiaAspetta, controllo ancora tutto.Wait, I will check everything again.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bagno, da, telo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
