lobo dell'orecchio
The Italian word for "earlobe" is lobo dell'orecchio, meaning the soft lower part of the outer ear.
lobo dell'orecchio is the everyday way to talk about the earlobe, for example when talking about earrings or piercings. In medical or technical language you will also see lobulo auricolare.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means "lobe of the ear". It is made of lobo (lobe) and dell'orecchio (of the ear), where the preposition for "of" has merged with the article.
Which one should you use?
lobo dell'orecchio is the common term. lobulo auricolare is the anatomical name, more likely in a doctor's office or a textbook.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural is lobi degli orecchi.
Did you know?
- If you are discussing ear piercings in an Italian jewelry shop, you might hear the term piercing al lobo, where the English word 'piercing' is used directly within the Italian sentence.
- The word lobo is used in Italian to describe not only the earlobe but also the lobes of the lungs and the lobes of the brain.
- The word orecchio comes from the Latin auris, but the diminutive orecchino reflects a linguistic trend in Italian to use 'ino' to denote small, precious, or cute objects.
Examples in context
- Mi stava leccando il lobo dell'orecchio.He was licking my earlobe.il lobo dell'orecchio appears here with the article, as in "my earlobe".Tatoeba #13843168 by Nuel, translation #13843167 by Nuel
- Ho notato che il tuo lobo dell'orecchio è rosso. Dovresti provare a mettere una crema.I noticed that your earlobe is red. You should try putting on some cream.
- Quella ragazza ha un lobulo auricolare molto piccolo.That girl has a very small earlobe.
- Ha un piccolo piercing sul lobo dell'orecchio.She has a small piercing on her earlobe.
- Il lobo dell'orecchio è molto sensibile.The earlobe is very sensitive.
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are looking at a photo of a baby.
- ChiaraGuarda quanto è carino questo bambino.Look how cute this baby is.
- FrancescoSì, ha un lobo dell'orecchio davvero paffuto!Yes, he has a very chubby earlobe!
- ChiaraÈ vero, è adorabile.It's true, he is adorable.
- FrancescoSembra un angioletto.He looks like a little angel.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
