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mezzo

half

noun MED-dzoh Common

Origin: Latin medius, 'middle'

Also means

means, vehicle

Usage Note

Mezzo has two distinct senses: as 'half' it appears in time expressions (sono le tre e mezzo, it's half past three) and measures; as 'means/vehicle' it gives mezzi di trasporto (means of transport) and i mezzi colloquially for the city's public transit. As an adjective, mezzo means 'half' (mezzo litro, half a litre). The phrase in mezzo a means 'in the middle of.'

Examples

"Sono le tre e mezzo."

Natural Translation

It is half past three.

Literal Translation

They-are the three and half.

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