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colto

educated

adjective KOHL-toh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Personality

Origin: Past participle of cogliere/colere; from Latin cultus, 'cultivated'.

Also means

cultured

Usage Note

Colto means well-educated or cultured (una persona colta — a cultured person). It is also the irregular past participle of cogliere (to pick, to catch), so context is essential: ho colto un fiore (I picked a flower) vs è una persona colta (she is an educated person). The two uses are entirely distinct.

Examples

"Era un uomo colto, appassionato di storia e arte."

Natural Translation

He was an educated man, passionate about history and art.

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