mitra

mitre

noun MEE-trah Rare

Origin: From Greek mitra (headband, turban), via Latin.

Also means

submachine gun

Usage Note

Mitra is ambiguous in Italian: as a religious term it means the tall ceremonial headdress of a bishop (la mitra episcopale); as a military/slang term it means a submachine gun (short for mitragliatrice). The word is feminine in the religious sense (la mitra) but often treated as masculine in the weapons sense (il mitra) — check context carefully.

Examples

"Il vescovo indossava la mitra dorata."

Natural Translation

The bishop wore the golden mitre.

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