supplente

substitute teacher

noun soop-LEN-teh Rare

Origin: From Latin supplens, present participle of supplere ('to fill in, supply').

Also means

temporary replacement

Usage Note

Supplente functions as both masculine and feminine (il/la supplente) — it is an epicene noun of the -ente class. In Italian schools, supplenti are teachers hired on fixed-term contracts to cover absences; chronic reliance on them is a well-known feature of the Italian education system. The plural is supplenti.

Examples

"La supplente ci ha insegnato matematica per un mese."

Natural Translation

The substitute teacher taught us maths for a month.

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