cavallina
The Italian word for leapfrog is cavallina.
In this context, cavallina refers to the children's game of leapfrog.
Meaning: to overtake (verb)
Did you know?
- While 'leapfrog' in English describes a frog, cavallina is the diminutive form of cavalla, meaning 'little female horse'.
- The diminutive suffix in cavallina changes the meaning from a literal 'female horse' to a specific activity, a common pattern in Italian where smallness implies a game or toy.
- While English uses 'leapfrog' metaphorically for skipping steps in a process, an Italian speaker might use saltare i passaggi instead of cavallina.
Examples in context
- Tom e Mary giocavano alla cavallina.Tom and Mary played leapfrog.This sentence shows how to use cavallina when describing playing the game.Tatoeba #10478789 by Guybrush88, translation #10236665 by ddnktr
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a business strategy.
- GiuliaDobbiamo innovare per superare gli altri.We need to innovate to get ahead of the others.
- FrancescoSì, dobbiamo fare la cavallina al mercato.Yes, we need to leapfrog the market.
- GiuliaQual è il piano per riuscirci, Francesco?What is the plan to achieve that, Francesco?
- FrancescoUseremo una nuova tecnologia avanzata.We will use a new advanced technology.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cavallina, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
