appetito

appetite

noun ahp-peh-TEE-toh Rare

Origin: Latin appetitus, from appetere 'to seek after'

Usage Note

Appetito appears in the ubiquitous mealtime greeting Buon appetito! ('Enjoy your meal!'). The phrase stuzzicare l'appetito means 'to whet the appetite'. It can also be figurative: appetito di potere ('hunger for power'). The plural gli appetiti exists but the singular dominates.

Examples

"Buon appetito a tutti!"

Natural Translation

Enjoy your meal, everyone!

Literal Translation

Good appetite to all!

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