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salvadanaio

piggy bank

noun sal-vah-dah-NAH-yoh Rare

Also means

money box

Usage Note

Salvadanaio comes from salvare (to save) + danaio (an archaic word for money). It refers to any coin-saving container, traditionally pig-shaped. The plural is salvadanai. A related colloquial phrase is rompere il salvadanaio (to break open the piggy bank), meaning to spend one's savings.

Examples

"Mio figlio mette le monete nel salvadanaio."

Natural Translation

My son puts coins in the piggy bank.

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