malanno

ailment

noun mah-LAHN-noh Rare

Origin: From mal (bad) + anno (year), originally a year of hardship.

Also means

misfortune

Usage Note

Malanno most often means a minor but persistent illness or ailment (prendersi un malanno = to catch an illness). It can also mean a misfortune or curse in a more figurative register. The plural is regular: i malanni.

Examples

"Si è preso un malanno dopo la passeggiata sotto la pioggia."

Natural Translation

He caught an ailment after walking in the rain.

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