ricamo
/riˈka.mo/masculine
The English word embroidery is ricamo in Italian.
ricamo refers to the art of embroidery or a specific piece of embroidery.
Meaning: art (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ricamo is masculine and is used in its singular form to refer to the art or a single piece of work. The plural form is ricami. If you want to describe the action of embroidering, use the verb ricamare.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /riˈka.mo/. It has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the verb ricamare is often used metaphorically to describe someone who is adding unnecessary, flowery, or exaggerated details to a story.
- Italian lace-making and ricamo were historically managed by guilds that kept their specific patterns and techniques secret to protect local economic monopolies.
- While ricamo means embroidery, the Italian word punto (meaning 'stitch') is used to categorize hundreds of specific regional styles, such as the famous punto antico.
Examples in context
- Questo è un autentico ricamo di Suzhou.This is an authentic Suzhou embroidery.This sentence is useful for identifying an authentic piece of ricamo from Suzhou.Tatoeba #4730370 by Guybrush88, translation #731019 by U2FS
- Un'opera d'arte ricamata è un racconto che si svela solo a chi sa coglierne i dettagli.An embroidered work of art is a story that reveals itself only to those who can appreciate its details.
- Il ricamo è una tecnica molto antica.Embroidery is a very ancient technique.
- Amo ogni tipo di ricamo floreale.I love every kind of floral embroidery.
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are looking at a handmade tablecloth in a shop.
- ChiaraGuarda questo bellissimo ricamo sul bordo.Look at this beautiful embroidery on the edge.
- FrancescoSì, il ricamo è davvero molto fine.Yes, the embroidery is truly very fine.
- ChiaraSecondo te è un lavoro fatto a mano?Do you think it is handmade work?
- FrancescoSì, sembra un ricamo artigianale.Yes, it looks like artisanal embroidery.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “embroidery” translations and entries ricamo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
