Also means
to undo
Usage Note
Stessere is a rare literary verb meaning to unweave or undo a weave, the opposite of tessere (to weave). Its most famous cultural context is Penelope's stessere of her web in the Odyssey. In modern Italian it appears almost exclusively in literary, mythological, or metaphorical contexts; it is essentially obsolete in everyday speech.
Examples
"Penelope tesseva di giorno e stesseva di notte."
Natural Translation
Penelope wove by day and unwove by night.

Free starter pack
Building your Italian vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic