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roso

gnawed, eaten away

adjective ROH-zoh Rare
Descriptions & Qualities Conditions

Origin: Past participle of rodere, from Latin rodere (to gnaw).

Usage Note

Roso is the past participle of rodere (to gnaw) used as an adjective, meaning gnawed, eaten into, or worn away. It is used both literally (un osso roso — a gnawed bone) and figuratively (roso dalla gelosia — eaten up by jealousy). The figurative use with emotions is very common in literary and colloquial Italian alike.

Examples

"Era roso dai sensi di colpa."

Natural Translation

He was eaten up by guilt.

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