Italian word of the day: 'Moscio'
Sometimes you just don't have it in you...
Italy might have cooled off a little after its record-breaking mid-August heatwave, but temperatures are still hot and heavy across much of the peninsula.
If you’re back from your summer break and staring blankly a screen trying to concentrate while weakly fanning yourself with your hand, you might be feeling a bit… moscio.
In other words: listless, apathetic, limp, floppy, soft; sapped of vitality.
It can be a temporary state of being or a more enduring personality trait, and could be applied to anything from a sad-looking plant or piece of overripe fruit to a person or even an animal. Moscio can also mean flaccid or saggy, with… the same applications as its English counterparts.
It’s a regular adjective, so follows the standard rules for noun agreement: moscio for masculine singular, moscia for feminine singular, mosci for masculine plural, or mosce for feminine plural.
Si sente un po’ moscia con questo caldo.
She feels a bit wiped out with this heat.
Cosa pensi del nuovo ragazzo di Angelica? A me sembrava un po’ moscio.
What do you think of Angelica’s new boyfriend? He seemed like a bit of a drip to me.
Le tue rose sono mosce, dovresti annaffiarle più frequentemente.
Your roses are drooping, you should water them more often.
Fortunately for those of us who might be feeling a little mosci, the Italian workday is bookended with some built-in pick-me-ups, starting with your morning cappuccino and ending with a good old aperitivo or apericena. Thank goodness for that, eh?
Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
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Italy might have cooled off a little after its record-breaking mid-August heatwave, but temperatures are still hot and heavy across much of the peninsula.
If you’re back from your summer break and staring blankly a screen trying to concentrate while weakly fanning yourself with your hand, you might be feeling a bit… moscio.
In other words: listless, apathetic, limp, floppy, soft; sapped of vitality.
It can be a temporary state of being or a more enduring personality trait, and could be applied to anything from a sad-looking plant or piece of overripe fruit to a person or even an animal. Moscio can also mean flaccid or saggy, with… the same applications as its English counterparts.
It’s a regular adjective, so follows the standard rules for noun agreement: moscio for masculine singular, moscia for feminine singular, mosci for masculine plural, or mosce for feminine plural.
Si sente un po’ moscia con questo caldo.
She feels a bit wiped out with this heat.
Cosa pensi del nuovo ragazzo di Angelica? A me sembrava un po’ moscio.
What do you think of Angelica’s new boyfriend? He seemed like a bit of a drip to me.
Le tue rose sono mosce, dovresti annaffiarle più frequentemente.
Your roses are drooping, you should water them more often.
Fortunately for those of us who might be feeling a little mosci, the Italian workday is bookended with some built-in pick-me-ups, starting with your morning cappuccino and ending with a good old aperitivo or apericena. Thank goodness for that, eh?
Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
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