purosangue
/ˌpu.roˈsan.ɡwe/by personal gender, feminine, masculine
The Italian word for thoroughbred is purosangue. If unsure, use purosangue. Wiktionary also lists purosangue inglese.
Meaning: thoroughbred horse (breed) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| purosangue | /ˌpu.roˈsan.ɡwe/ | by personal gender, feminine, masculine |
| purosangue inglese | /ˌpu.roˈsan.ɡwe inˈɡle.ze/ (word by word) | masculine |
purosangue is used to refer to a thoroughbred horse. Much like in English, this term can also be used metaphorically to describe a person of exceptional quality or high pedigree.
Which one should you use?
While purosangue is the general term, you can use purosangue inglese specifically to refer to the English thoroughbred breed. If you wish to be most descriptive and formal, you can use the phrase cavallo purosangue to mean thoroughbred horse.
How does it change in a sentence?
purosangue is a noun that can be used as either masculine or feminine depending on the gender of the subject it refers to. purosangue inglese is specifically a masculine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌpu.roˈsan.ɡwe/. The word has 4 syllables and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- In Italian automotive culture, purosangue is used as a prestige label for high-performance cars. Ferrari recently named a specific luxury crossover model the Purosangue to evoke the spirit of a racing horse.
- The word sangue in purosangue is a cognate of the English word 'sanguine'. While the English word now mostly means optimistic, in Italian it retains its primary meaning of 'blood'.
- Although purosangue is used for horses, the Italian term for a 'purebred' of any other animal is usually di razza. Using purosangue for a dog, for example, would sound unnatural to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Il "cavallo purosangue" è particolarmente adatto alle competizioni equestri.The thoroughbred horse is particularly suited for equestrian competitions.
- Ho visto un magnifico "cavallo di razza" alla fiera.I saw a magnificent purebred horse at the fair.
- Questo purosangue è molto veloce.This thoroughbred is very fast.
- Il proprietario possiede un purosangue.The owner owns a thoroughbred.
- Quel purosangue ha vinto la corsa.That thoroughbred won the race.
Example conversation
Francesco and Sofia are visiting a horse stable.
- FrancescoGuarda quel bellissimo purosangue, Sofia.Look at that beautiful thoroughbred, Sofia.
- SofiaÈ davvero elegante, Francesco.It is truly elegant, Francesco.
- FrancescoSì, sembra un vero purosangue da corsa.Yes, it looks like a true racing thoroughbred.
- SofiaSpero che sia molto veloce.I hope it is very fast.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thoroughbred” translations and entries purosangue, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (purosangue, inglese) and can differ in connected speech.
