assedio

siege

noun ahs-SEH-dyoh Rare

Origin: From Latin obsidium, via Old Italian assedio.

Usage Note

Assedio is masculine; its plural is assedi. Beyond military contexts it is widely used figuratively: essere sotto assedio means 'to be under siege' (from reporters, critics, etc.). Stato d'assedio is the formal term for a 'state of siege.'

Examples

"La città resistette all'assedio per mesi."

Natural Translation

The city withstood the siege for months.

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