legname
/leɲˈɲa.me/masculine
In Italian, "lumber" is translated as legname.
legname refers specifically to wood used as a commercial commodity or building material.
Meaning: wood as building material (noun)
Which one should you use?
While legno is used to refer to wood as a general substance or a single piece of wood, legname is used when referring to wood as a collective resource or building material.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun legname is an uncountable mass noun and is used in the singular in Italian.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables, with the stress on the second syllable: /leɲˈɲa.me/.
Did you know?
- While legname describes the material, the Italian word for a 'lumberjack' is boscaiolo, which literally means 'someone who works in the woods'.
- The word legname comes from the Early Medieval Latin lignāmen.
- If you are looking for a single piece of timber rather than a bulk commodity, using legname might make you sound like a merchant rather than a carpenter.
Examples in context
- Del buon legname è difficile da trovare in questi giorni.Good lumber is hard to find these days.This sentence shows how to describe the difficulty of finding good legname.Tatoeba #3110224 by Guybrush88, translation #18696 by papabear
- Il battello era carico di carbone, legname e altre cose.The vessel was loaded with coal, lumber, and so on.This sentence illustrates a list of cargo items including legname.Tatoeba #1017157 by riccioberto, translation #45713 by hecko
- Il costruttore sta utilizzando il miglior legname disponibile per la costruzione della casa.The builder is using the finest lumber available for the construction of the house.
- Il prezzo del legname è aumentato molto.The price of lumber has increased a lot.
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Sofia are discussing a construction project.
- SofiaLorenzo, hai ordinato il legname per il tetto?Lorenzo, have you ordered the lumber for the roof?
- LorenzoSì, Sofia, arriva domani mattina.Yes, Sofia, it arrives tomorrow morning.
- SofiaOttimo, abbiamo bisogno di tutto il legname possibile.Great, we need all the lumber possible.
- LorenzoNon ti preoccupare, ho controllato tutto.Don't worry, I checked everything.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “lumber” translations and entries legname, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries legname, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
