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secca

sandbank

noun SEK-kah Rare

Also means

dry spell

Usage Note

Secca in its primary nautical sense means a shallow area or sandbank that can ground a vessel; the plural secche refers to shallows or reefs. In everyday speech secca can also mean a dry period or drought, and the idiom in secca ('aground', 'stranded') is used both literally of boats and figuratively of people who are broke or stuck.

Examples

"La barca si è incagliata su una secca."

Natural Translation

The boat ran aground on a sandbank.

Literal Translation

The boat itself-has run-aground on a sandbank.

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