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sciame

swarm

noun SHAH-meh Rare
Animals & Nature Insects

Origin: From Latin examen (swarm of bees, crowd), via Old Italian sciame

Also means

cluster

Usage Note

Sciame is most commonly used for a swarm of bees (uno sciame di api) but extends to any dense cluster: uno sciame di scosse sismiche (a swarm of earthquake tremors), uno sciame di turisti (a swarm of tourists). The plural is gli sciami. In seismology, sciame sismico is a standard technical term for a series of small quakes.

Examples

"Uno sciame di api si è posato sull'albero."

Natural Translation

A swarm of bees landed on the tree.

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