frana

landslide

noun FRAH-nah Rare

Also means

rockslide

Usage Note

Frana refers to a landslide or slope collapse, a significant hazard in mountainous Italy. It is also used colloquially to describe a clumsy or incompetent person (sei una frana! — 'you're a disaster!'). The verb franare means 'to collapse' or 'to slide down'. Plans or agreements can also franare figuratively — 'to fall apart'.

Examples

"Una frana ha bloccato la strada di montagna."

Natural Translation

A landslide blocked the mountain road.

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