mestiere

trade

noun mehs-TYEH-reh Less Common

Origin: from Latin 'ministerium', service

Also means

craft

Usage Note

Mestiere denotes a manual or skilled trade rather than a white-collar professione. It lives in i ferri del mestiere ('the tools of the trade') and conoscere il mestiere ('to know one's craft').

Examples

"Fa il mestiere del falegname."

Natural Translation

He works as a carpenter.

Literal Translation

He-does the trade of-the carpenter.

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