intelligence

intelligence (services)

noun een-TEL-lee-jens Rare

Origin: English loanword adopted in the Italian security/political lexicon.

Usage Note

Intelligence is an English loanword used exclusively in Italian to refer to secret services or intelligence agencies: i servizi di intelligence. It is always feminine and invariable. For the cognitive sense of 'intelligence' as mental ability, Italian uses l'intelligenza instead.

Examples

"I servizi di intelligence hanno sventato l'attacco."

Natural Translation

The intelligence services foiled the attack.

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