portapillole
The Italian word for "pillbox" is portapillole.
Meaning: box for pills (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of porta- (derived from the verb portare, meaning "to carry") and pillole (meaning "pills").
How does it change in a sentence?
The word is invariable in number. It remains portapillole whether you are referring to one pillbox or multiple pillboxes.
Did you know?
- In a medical context, an Italian doctor might refer to a pillola not as a medicine, but as a 'contraceptive pill', often omitting the word for 'contraceptive' entirely.
- The prefix porta- is so common in Italian objects that it creates a huge family of 'carriers', such as portafoglio for 'wallet' (literally 'leaf-carrier') and portachiavi for 'keyring'.
- The word pillola comes from the Latin pilula, which is a diminutive of pila, meaning 'ball'. This reflects the ancient practice of rolling medicine into small spheres by hand.
Examples in context
- Ho bisogno di una scatola per pillole vuota.I need an empty pillbox.
- Vorrei comprare una nuova scatola per pillole.I would like to buy a new pillbox.
- Hai visto la mia scatola per pillole rossa?Have you seen my red pillbox?
- Puoi darmi il tuo portapillole per favore?Can you give me your pill carrier, please?
- Devo comprare un nuovo portapillole.I need to buy a new pillbox.
- Il tuo portapillole è in borsa.Your pillbox is in your bag.
- Dove hai messo il portapillole?Where did you put the pillbox?
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are in the kitchen in the morning.
- GiuliaAlessandro, hai visto il mio portapillole?Alessandro, have you seen my pillbox?
- AlessandroSì, è sul tavolo della cucina.Yes, it is on the kitchen table.
- GiuliaGrazie, l'ho quasi dimenticato.Thanks, I almost forgot it.
- AlessandroPrendi il tuo portapillole prima di uscire.Take your pillbox before you go out.
