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basket

basketball

noun BAH-sket Rare

Origin: English loanword (basketball).

Usage Note

Basket is an English borrowing used informally alongside the full form pallacanestro (the standard Italian term). It is invariable and masculine. In sports journalism both forms coexist, though pallacanestro is preferred in formal writing. The plural is also basket (invariable). Il canestro means the basket/hoop itself.

Examples

"Gioca a basket ogni sabato mattina."

Natural Translation

He plays basketball every Saturday morning.

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