mostro
monster
noun MOH-stroh Rare
Origin: Latin monstrum, 'omen, portent, monster,' from monere 'to warn.'
Usage Note
Mostro is masculine (i mostri). Colloquially it can be used as a compliment: sei un mostro! can mean 'you're incredible!' (a beast at something). It also appears in mostro sacro, an Italian idiom for a legendary, towering figure in a field (like a 'legend' or 'giant' in English).
Examples
"Il bambino ha paura del mostro."
Natural Translation
The child is afraid of the monster.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic