erbaccia
feminine
The English word "weed" (meaning an unwanted plant) is translated into Italian as erbaccia.
erbaccia is used to describe unwanted or harmful plants. While the word erba refers to grass in a neutral or positive sense, erbaccia specifically denotes the unwanted kind. You can also use the phrase erba cattiva as a synonym to describe a weed.
Meaning: unwanted plant (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word erbaccia is a compound of erba (grass) and the suffix -accia, which is a pejorative suffix used to denote something bad, low quality or unpleasant.
Which one should you use?
In Italian, the distinction between types of plants is important: erba refers to general grass, whereas erbaccia refers specifically to weeds.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
erbaccia is a feminine noun. Its plural form is erbacce. If you need to describe the action of removing weeds from a plant or area, use the verb diserbare.
When do people say it?
The word canapa is the specific Italian term for hemp.
Did you know?
- The term erba cattiva is used in the popular Italian proverb l'erba cattiva non muore mai, which means 'bad weeds never die'. It is often used to describe stubborn people or persistent problems that refuse to go away.
- The word erbaccia belongs to a family of 'ugly' words. For instance, if a city square piazza is dirty or unpleasant, an Italian will call it a piazzaccia.
- In formal Italian urban planning and legal documents, the act of weeding is referred to as diserbo.
Examples in context
- Un'erbaccia cresce sempre.A weed always grows.This sentence illustrates the use of erbaccia to describe a plant that grows.Tatoeba #12479515 by Guybrush88, translation #12464193 by Miktsoanit
- Il governo sta lavorando sull'uso terapeutico della cannabis.The government is working on the therapeutic use of cannabis.
- Hai dell'erba da fumare stasera?Do you have any weed to smoke tonight?
- C'è un'erbaccia in questo vaso.There is a weed in this pot.
- Togli quell'erbaccia dal giardino.Remove that weed from the garden.
Example conversation
Giulia and Francesco are working in their small garden.
- GiuliaFrancesco, guarda questa erbaccia.Francesco, look at this weed.
- FrancescoSì, è davvero grande.Yes, it is really big.
- GiuliaDobbiamo togliere ogni erbaccia oggi.We must remove every weed today.
- FrancescoHai ragione, lo faccio subito.You are right, I will do it immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “weed” translations and entries erbaccia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
