dente di leone
/ˈdɛn.te di leˈo.ne/word by wordmasculine
The English phrase "dandelion" is dente di leone in Italian. Wiktionary also lists soffione.
Meaning: plant, wild flower of the genus Taraxacum (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| dente di leone | /ˈdɛn.te di leˈo.ne/ (word by word) | masculine |
| soffione | /sofˈfjo.ne/ | masculine |
Both dente di leone and soffione refer to the dandelion plant, a wild flower of the genus Taraxacum.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase dente di leone literally translates to "lion's tooth".
Which one should you use?
While both words mean dandelion, soffione is often used to refer specifically to the dandelion when it has reached its fluffy, seed-head stage.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both dente di leone and soffione are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈdɛn.te di leˈo.ne/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- Because the leaves of the dente di leone are bitter, they are traditionally used in Italian cuisine as a 'contorno' or side dish, often blanched or sautéed.
- In Italian folk medicine, dente di leone is often referred to as a 'depurative' plant, used in traditional herbal teas to cleanse the liver.
- The word dente is a doublet of zanna, meaning 'fang'. Both words evolved from the same Latin root but developed different meanings in Italian.
Examples in context
- Mia madre ha colto un bel dente di leone nel prato.My mother picked a beautiful dandelion in the meadow.
- I bambini soffiano sui soffioni per far volare i semi.The children blow on dandelions to make the seeds fly.
- C'è un dente di leone in giardino.There is a dandelion in the garden.
- Ho visto un dente di leone giallo.I saw a yellow dandelion.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are walking through a field.
- LorenzoGuarda quel dente di leone, Chiara!Look at that dandelion, Chiara!
- ChiaraÈ bellissimo, Lorenzo.It is beautiful, Lorenzo.
- LorenzoVuoi raccogliere un dente di leone?Do you want to pick a dandelion?
- ChiaraNo, lo lasciamo qui.No, let's leave it here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dandelion” translations and entries dente di leone, soffione, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (dente, di, leone) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dente, di, leone, CC BY-SA 4.0.
