zanzara
mosquito
noun dzahn-DZAH-rah Less Common
Origin: likely imitative of the insect's buzz
Usage Note
Zanzara is the mosquito, an unwelcome staple of Italian summer evenings; the plural is zanzare. You protect yourself with repellente per zanzare or a zanzariera ('mosquito net'); the word's buzzing zz-sound is itself onomatopoeic.
Examples
"Una zanzara mi ha punto."
Natural Translation
A mosquito bit me.
Literal Translation
A mosquito me has bitten.

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