coltello da burro
/kolˈtɛl.lo da ˈbur.ro/word by wordmasculine
The English phrase "butter knife" is coltello da burro in Italian.
A coltello da burro is a dull-edged knife for spreading butter.
Meaning: dull-edged knife for spreading butter (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, coltelli da burro, only the noun coltello changes to its masculine plural form coltelli.
Did you know?
- The word coltello comes from the Latin cultellus, which was a diminutive form meaning 'small knife' or 'dagger'.
- In traditional Italian table settings, the placement of the coltelli is strictly standardized, with the cutting edge always facing inward toward the plate.
- In Italian, the word burro is used in the phrase fare burro, which can mean to flatter someone or to butter them up, similar to the English idiom.
Examples in context
- Mi scusi, potrebbe portarmi un coltello per burro, per favore?Excuse me, could you bring me a butter knife, please?
- Passami lo spalmino, per favorePass me the butter knife, please
- Cerco un coltello da burro, sai dove posso trovarlo?I'm looking for a butter knife, do you know where I can find one?
- Dove hai messo il coltello da burro?Where did you put the butter knife?
- Mi serve un coltello da burro per il pane.I need a butter knife for the bread.
- Questo coltello da burro è molto piccolo.This butter knife is very small.
Example conversation
Sofia and Matteo are setting the table for breakfast.
- SofiaMatteo, mi passi il coltello da burro?Matteo, can you pass me the butter knife?
- MatteoCertamente, eccolo qui per te.Certainly, here it is for you.
- SofiaGrazie, lo cercavo proprio.Thanks, I was looking for it.
- MatteoDi nulla, Sofia.You're welcome, Sofia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “butter knife” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (coltello, da, burro) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries burro, coltello, da, CC BY-SA 4.0.
