pesce palla
/ˈpeʃ.ʃe ˈpal.la/word by wordmasculine
The English phrase blowfish is translated into Italian as pesce palla.
pesce palla refers to any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe.
Meaning: any species of fish of the family Tetraodontidae that have the ability to inflate themselves to a globe (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun pesce palla is masculine and is typically used in the singular form to refer to the species or a single specimen. The plural form is pesci palla.
Did you know?
- In Italian culinary contexts, pesce palla is rarely seen on menus because the fish is highly toxic unless prepared by a certified expert.
- The word pesce is a direct descendant of the Latin 'piscem', which is also the root of the English word 'pisces' in astrology.
- The word palla in pesce palla shares an ancient Indo-European root with the English word 'blow', as both trace back to a concept of swelling or inflating.
Examples in context
- Hai mai mangiato il pesce palla? È molto gustoso!Have you ever eaten blowfish? It is very tasty!
- Vedo un pesce palla nel corallo.I see a blowfish in the coral.
- Attento a quel pesce palla!Watch out for that blowfish!
Example conversation
Martina and Lorenzo are snorkeling in the ocean.
- MartinaGuarda, Lorenzo, c'è un pesce palla!Look, Lorenzo, there is a blowfish!
- LorenzoÈ incredibile quanto sia grande.It is incredible how big it is.
- MartinaSembra quasi un palloncino.It looks almost like a balloon.
- LorenzoSì, è davvero un pesce palla particolare.Yes, it is a very peculiar blowfish.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blowfish” translations and entries pesce palla, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (pesce, palla) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries palla, pesce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
