piccione
/pitˈt͡ʃo.ne/masculine
The Italian word for pigeon is piccione. Wiktionary also lists picciona and colombo.
Meaning: bird of the dove and pigeon family Columbidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| piccione | /pitˈt͡ʃo.ne/ | masculine |
| picciona | feminine | |
| colombo | /koˈlom.bo/ | masculine |
| colomba | /koˈlom.ba/ | feminine |
The term refers to birds of the Columbidae family, which includes both pigeons and doves.
Which one should you use?
While both types of birds belong to the same family, piccione is typically used for the common, often urban pigeon, whereas colomba refers to the white dove. In religious and symbolic contexts, colomba is the preferred term for a dove.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine singular form piccione becomes the plural piccioni.
How do you pronounce it?
/pitˈtʃo.ne/. The word has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In Italian, calling someone a piccione is a slang term for a 'sucker' or a gullible person who is easily cheated.
- The Latin root of colomba is the same root that gave English the word 'columbarium', a room used for storing funerary urns.
- The word piccione shares a common ancestor with the Latin word for 'chirping', reflecting the bird's characteristic sounds.
Examples in context
- Quel piccione è ferito.That pigeon is injured.This sentence is useful for describing an injured piccione.Tatoeba #13373119 by Guybrush88, translation #13371806 by rul
- Il piccione sta tubando.The pigeon is cooing.This sentence is useful for describing the sound a piccione makes.Tatoeba #1663077 by Guybrush88, translation #1662831 by Amastan
- Sto tubando come un piccione.I am cooing like a pigeon.This sentence is useful for a simile involving the sound of a piccione.Tatoeba #2395186 by Guybrush88, translation #1665658 by Amastan
- 31 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are sitting in a city park.
- ChiaraGuarda, un piccione è vicino a te, Francesco.Look, a pigeon is near you, Francesco.
- FrancescoSì, è un bel piccione.Yes, it is a beautiful pigeon.
- ChiaraNon dargli da mangiare.Don't feed it.
- FrancescoVa bene, Chiara, non lo farò.Okay, Chiara, I won't do it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pigeon” translations and entries piccione, colombo, colomba, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries colomba, colombo, piccione, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
