matita
pencil
noun mah-TEE-tah Rare
Origin: From Italian ematite (hematite), the mineral once used for marking.
Usage Note
Matita is the standard Italian word for a pencil. To sharpen a pencil is temperare la matita (using a temperamatite). A coloured pencil is matita colorata, and an eyeliner pencil is also matita (matita per gli occhi). Do not confuse with penna (pen).
Examples
"Scrivi la risposta con la matita."
Natural Translation
Write the answer with the pencil.
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