maturità
maturity; adulthood
noun mah-too-ree-TAH Rare
Origin: Latin maturitas
Also means
(Italy) school-leaving exam
Usage Note
Maturità has two important meanings in Italian. As a general noun it means 'maturity' or 'ripeness' in any sense. But crucially for Italian culture, la maturità (or l'esame di maturità) is the national high-school leaving examination — a major life milestone. The word is invariable in the plural (no change: due maturità) because it ends in an accented vowel. The adjective form is maturo/a.
Examples
"Ha superato la maturità con il massimo dei voti."
Natural Translation
She passed the school-leaving exam with top marks.
Related Words
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