attimo

moment, instant

noun AHT-tee-moh Rare

Origin: From Latin 'atomus' (indivisible unit), via the notion of the smallest unit of time.

Usage Note

Attimo is slightly more emphatic than momento — it stresses brevity: un attimo! is the standard way to say 'just a second!' or 'one moment!' when asking someone to wait. The phrase in un attimo (in an instant) is extremely common. Plural: attimi.

Examples

"Aspetta un attimo, arrivo subito."

Natural Translation

Wait a moment, I'll be right there.

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