chicco di grandine
/ˈkik.ko di ˈɡran.di.ne/word by word
The English phrase hailstone is translated into Italian as chicco di grandine.
The term is used to refer to a single ball of hail.
Meaning: single ball of hail (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word chicco literally refers to a single grain, kernel or berry, which is why it is used to describe an individual piece of hail.
Which one should you use?
While chicco di grandine refers specifically to a single hailstone, the word grandine refers to the phenomenon of hail or the hail itself in a collective sense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of chicco di grandine is chicchi di grandine.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of chicco di grandine is /ˈkik.ko di ˈɡran.di.ne/. It has five syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- The word grandine shares a linguistic root with the English verb 'grind', as both stem from a Proto-Indo-European term describing the action of crushing or grinding.
- In Italian, the same word chicco is used for a single hailstone and a single coffee bean.
- While grandine describes hail, the word for 'large' in Italian is grande, showing how the weather phenomenon is linguistically linked to the idea of size.
Examples in context
- Guarda quanti chicchi di grandine ci sono sul tetto dell'auto!Look at how many hailstones are on the car roof!
- Ogni singolo chicco di grandine era enorme.Every single hailstone was huge.
- Ho trovato un chicco di grandine sul balcone.I found a hailstone on the balcony.
- Guarda quel chicco di grandine, è proprio grande!Look at that hailstone, it is really big!
Example conversation
Francesco and Martina are looking out the window during a storm.
- FrancescoGuarda che tempesta, Martina!Look at this storm, Martina!
- MartinaSì, guarda quel chicco di grandine sul vetro.Yes, look at that hailstone on the glass.
- FrancescoÈ enorme, spero non rompa nulla.It is huge, I hope it doesn't break anything.
- MartinaSperiamo che non succeda, Francesco.Let's hope that doesn't happen, Francesco.
