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ovvero

or rather

conjunction ohv-VEH-roh Less Common
Grammar & Structure Conjunctions

Origin: from 'o' plus 'vero', or true

Also means

that is to say

Usage Note

Ovvero introduces a clarification or restatement, equivalent to 'that is' or 'i.e.', as in il capoluogo, ovvero Roma. In older or formal usage it can also mean a plain 'or'. It is more bookish than the everyday cioè.

Examples

"Studio la linguistica, ovvero il linguaggio."

Natural Translation

I study linguistics, that is, language.

Literal Translation

Study the linguistics, or-rather the language.

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