lustro

lustre, shine

noun LOO-stroh Rare

Origin: From Latin lustrare, 'to illuminate'.

Also means

five-year period

Usage Note

Lustro has two distinct senses: a physical shine or gleam (dare lustro = to polish) and a formal literary unit of five years (un lustro fa = five years ago). The latter is a false cognate trap — English 'lustre' only covers the shine sense. Dare lustro a qualcosa also means to bring prestige to something.

Examples

"Il pavimento ha acquistato un bel lustro."

Natural Translation

The floor has acquired a beautiful shine.

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