Skip to content

dandy

dandy

noun DAN-dee Rare
People & Society Values

Origin: English 'dandy', origin uncertain (perhaps from 'Dandy', a Scottish pet form of Andrew)

Usage Note

Dandy is an English loanword used unchanged in Italian, always masculine and invariable in plural: i dandy. It refers to a man who cultivates an elegant, extravagant style, associated with figures like Beau Brummell or Oscar Wilde. The related adjective is dandy (invariable) or the Italianised dandistico.

Examples

"Si vestiva come un dandy dell'Ottocento."

Natural Translation

He dressed like a nineteenth-century dandy.

Explore Italian by topic