chiaro di luna
/ˈkja.ro di ˈlu.na/word by wordmasculine
The Italian word for moonlight is chiaro di luna.
chiaro di luna is a masculine noun referring to the light reflected from the Moon. When you want to say that an action is performed 'by moonlight', use the prepositional phrase al chiaro di luna.
Meaning: light reflected from the Moon (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of chiaro, meaning brightness or clarity and di luna, meaning of the moon.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun phrase chiaro di luna is masculine and is typically used in its singular form.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈkja.ro di ˈlu.na/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The Italian luna descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *lewk-, which means 'bright' and is the same root that gave English the word 'light'.
- In Italian culture, the phrase chiaro di luna is frequently associated with romanticism and is a staple theme in Italian opera and lyric poetry.
- If you were describing a musical piece inspired by the moon, you would likely see the French 'clair de lune' used in an Italian musical context, as the two phrases are nearly identical in structure.
Examples in context
- Non credo sia possibile leggere un libro al chiaro di luna.I don't suppose it's possible to read a book by moonlight.This sentence shows how to express the idea of reading by the light of the moon using chiaro di luna.Tatoeba #13968965 by IdiomHunter, translation #505468 by blay_paul
- passeggiare al chiaro di lunaTo talk a walk in the moonlightThis phrase shows how to describe walking by the light of the moon using chiaro di luna.
- Il paesaggio era illuminato dalla luce della luna.The landscape was illuminated by the moonlight.
- Stasera vorrei passeggiare sotto il chiaro di luna.Tonight, I would like to take a walk under the moonlight.
- La luce lunare penetrò attraverso la finestra, illuminando la stanza.The moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room.
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are standing on a balcony at night.
- MatteoGuarda quanto è bello questo chiaro di luna!Look how beautiful this moonlight is!
- MartinaSì, illumina tutto il giardino.Yes, it lights up the whole garden.
- MatteoTi va di fare una passeggiata?Do you want to take a walk?
- MartinaCerto, andiamo subito.Sure, let's go right now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “moonlight” translations and entries chiaro di luna, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (chiaro, di, luna) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chiaro, chiaro di luna, di, luna, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
