cometa
/koˈme.ta/feminine
The English phrase 'comet' is cometa in Italian.
cometa refers to a celestial body, generally with a tail.
Meaning: a celestial body, generally with a tail (noun)
Which one should you use?
While the lowercase cometa refers to the astronomical object, the capitalized form Cometa is a proper noun used specifically as the name of a reindeer, such as in the context of Santa Claus.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun cometa is feminine, so it is used with feminine articles like la or una.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /koˈme.ta/. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The term coda, used to describe the tail of a cometa, is the exact same word Italians use for a dog's tail or a queue of people.
- Ancient Italian folklore often viewed the appearance of a cometa as a 'presagio', or omen, usually signaling the death of a king or a great political upheaval.
- Because of its Greek roots, the Italian word cometa is essentially a description of 'long hair', a reference to the comet's distinctive tail.
Examples in context
- Dichiarò di aver scoperto una nuova cometa.He claimed that he had discovered a new comet.This sentence shows how to use cometa when discussing the discovery of a new comet.Tatoeba #852946 by Guybrush88, translation #299922 by CK
- Rosetta proverà ad atterrare su una cometa tra qualche ora.Rosetta will try to land on a comet in a few hours.This sentence illustrates the use of cometa in the context of a spacecraft attempting to land on one.Tatoeba #3625505 by Guybrush88, translation #3625153 by Hybrid
- Dopo la morte di Cesare una cometa risplendette per sette giorni.After the death of Caesar, a comet shone for seven days.This sentence demonstrates how cometa is used to describe a comet shining for a period of time.Tatoeba #923546 by rado, translation #1102766 by CM
- La scienziata ha studiato la cometa per anni.The scientist studied the comet for years.
- Guarda quella stella cometa! È bellissima!Look at that comet star! It's beautiful!
- Ho visto una cometa nel cielo questa notte.I saw a comet in the sky last night.
- Hanno osservato la cometa attraverso un potente telescopio.They observed the comet through a powerful telescope.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Francesco and Chiara are looking at the night sky through a telescope.
- FrancescoGuarda, Chiara, quella è la cometa!Look, Chiara, that is the comet!
- ChiaraÈ davvero luminosa, Francesco.It is truly bright, Francesco.
- FrancescoSembra quasi un piccolo miracolo.It almost looks like a little miracle.
- ChiaraHai ragione, è un momento magico.You're right, it's a magical moment.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “comet” translations and entries cometa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cometa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
