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margarina

margarine

noun mar-gah-REE-nah Rare

Origin: Coined in 1869 from Greek margaron (pearl), for the pearlescent appearance of margaric acid.

Usage Note

Margarina is the standard Italian word for the butter substitute. It is feminine and follows regular -a/-e plural: le margarine. In Italian cooking contexts it is often distinguished from burro (butter) and olio (oil), and product labels use the full form margarina vegetale (vegetable margarine).

Examples

"Ho usato la margarina invece del burro per la torta."

Natural Translation

I used margarine instead of butter for the cake.

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