pesce pagliaccio
/ˈpeʃ.ʃe paʎˈʎat.t͡ʃo/word by word
The English phrase "clown fish" is translated into Italian as pesce pagliaccio.
pesce pagliaccio is the term for clown fish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of pesce (fish) and pagliaccio (clown).
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the plural form pesci pagliaccio, only the noun pesce changes to pesci, while the adjective pagliaccio remains singular.
Did you know?
- The word pagliaccio comes from paglia, meaning 'straw'. This refers to the coarse fabric used for straw mattresses that early Italian clowns used to make their costumes.
- In Italian, the suffix -accio usually denotes something ugly or bad. In pagliaccio, it originally referred to the poor quality of the fabric used for the outfit.
- While the English 'clown' is a general term, the Italian pagliaccio specifically evokes the tradition of the Commedia dell'arte theater.
Examples in context
- Durante la mia ultima immersione, ho avuto la fortuna di avvistare un pesce pagliaccio. Era bellissimo con le sue strisce arancioni e bianche!During my last dive, I was lucky enough to spot a clown fish. It was beautiful with its orange and white stripes!
- I bambini adorano il film "Alla ricerca di Nemo" perché Nemo è proprio un simpatico pesciolino pagliaccio.Children love the movie "Finding Nemo" because Nemo is such a cute clown fish.
- Il pesce pagliaccio è molto colorato.The clown fish is very colorful.
- Ho visto un pesce pagliaccio nell'acquario.I saw a clown fish in the aquarium.
- Vuoi comprare un pesce pagliaccio per il tuo acquario?Do you want to buy a clown fish for your aquarium?
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are visiting an aquarium.
- AlessandroGuarda, Giulia, un bellissimo pesce pagliaccio!Look, Giulia, a beautiful clown fish!
- GiuliaSì, è davvero incantevole, Alessandro.Yes, it is truly enchanting, Alessandro.
- AlessandroPensi che sia facile da curare?Do you think it is easy to care for?
- GiuliaForse, ma dobbiamo informarci prima.Maybe, but we should find out more first.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry pesce pagliaccio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (pesce, pagliaccio) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pagliaccio, pesce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
