galera

jail

noun gah-LEH-rah Rare

Origin: Medieval Greek galea (galley ship); prisoners once rowed galleys

Also means

galley (ship)

Usage Note

Galera in modern colloquial Italian means prison or jail, though its origin is the rowing galley where convicts labored. It is more informal than prigione or carcere. The phrase finire in galera ('to end up in jail') is very common in spoken Italian.

Examples

"Rischia di finire in galera."

Natural Translation

He risks ending up in jail.

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