celiaco
The Italian word for celiac is celiaco, used for someone who has celiac disease.
celiaco is used to say you cannot eat gluten, as in Sono celiaco/a, quindi non posso mangiare niente con il glutine, I'm celiac, so I can't eat anything with gluten.
Meaning: someone who has celiac disease (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
celiaco is masculine. The feminine is celiaca, the masculine plural is celiaci and the feminine plural is celiache. It works both as a noun and as an adjective.
What mistakes should you avoid?
A woman should say celiaca, not celiaco.
When do people say it?
Look for Senza glutine, gluten free, on menus and packaging. To check a product, ask Per favore, mi può dire se questo prodotto contiene glutine?, can you please tell me if this product contains gluten. Farina di grano saraceno, buckwheat flour, is one ingredient that is naturally free of gluten.
Did you know?
- In Italy, the association AIC (Associazione Italiana Celiachia) is so influential that many restaurants display their official certification sticker to reassure celiaci.
- The term celiaco is an indirect reference to the 'belly', coming from the Ancient Greek word koilia.
- The Italian word celiaco shares a common ancestor with the British English spelling 'coeliac'.
Examples in context
- Certo, ma devo avvertirvi che sono celiaco/a. C'è un'opzione senza glutine nel menu?Certainly, but I have to inform you that I have celiac disease. Is there a gluten-free option on the menu?
- Mi scusi, ma potrebbe dirmi se questi biscotti sono senza glutine?Excuse me, could you tell me if these cookies are gluten-free?
- È un celiaco, quindi non può mangiare il pane.He is a celiac, so he cannot eat bread.
- Mio fratello è un celiaco molto attento.My brother is a very careful celiac.
- Dobbiamo informare il cameriere se il cliente è un celiaco.We must inform the waiter if the customer is a celiac.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Sofia are choosing a restaurant for dinner.
- LorenzoDove andiamo a cena stasera?Where are we going for dinner tonight?
- SofiaAndiamo in quel posto, perché Lorenzo è celiaco.Let's go to that place, because Lorenzo is celiac.
- LorenzoHai ragione, lì hanno molte opzioni.You're right, they have many options there.
- SofiaPerfetto, così saremo tranquilli.Perfect, that way we'll be relaxed.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry celiaco, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries celiaco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
