L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano T he Italian word s p a v e n t o (spah-vehn-toh) refers to a sud- den and intense feeling of fear or fright. It is commonly used to describe an emotional reaction to an u n e x p e c t e d e v e n t o r p e r - ceived danger, and can also imply shock or alarm in less literal contexts, for example, when someone is surprised by something unsettling or unpleasant. The intensity of spavento m a k e s i t s i m i l a r t o a m o m e n t a r y p a n i c , a s opposed to a more prolonged sense of fear or anxiety. For i n s t a n c e , H o a v u t o u n o spavento quando ho visto l'incidente ("I was frightened when I saw the accident") delivers this sense of imme- diate alarm . Etymologically, s p a v e n t o c o m e s f r o m t h e verb spaventare, meaning "to frighten." The verb itself is rooted in the Latin verb expavento from paveo (to fear). I n e v e r y d a y I t a l i a n , spavento can describe not only fear but also moments of overwhelming shock or surprise: for instance, some- 1 tails 3 lights (source of illumination) 7 (he/she) loves 8 (you/voi) have 9 to dream 13 west 15 never 16 finger 17 nests Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 hello; hi 2 (we) give 4 grapes 5 ideas 6 wet 10 (you/tu) break 11 north 12 bike 14 east one might say, Quella scena mi ha fatto prendere uno spavento! ("That scene gave me a fright!") after watching a particularly scary or star- tling part of a film. But the word can also be used in a figurative sense to empha- size surprise or dismay: La s u a f a c c i a f a s p a v e n t o ! ("His face is shocking!"), implying that something is s o o f f - p u t t i n g i t c a u s e s shock. This use can also be e x t e n d e d t o d e s c r i b e unpleasant or chaotic situa- tions, such as C'è un disor- dine che fa spavento! ("This mess is shocking!") The versatility of spaven- to is notable in both casual conversation and literature, w h e r e w r i t e r s o f a l l a g e s often used it to evoke strong emotions, whether it be ter- ror in a dramatic context or amazement when describing something extreme. Quando ho visto il ser- p e n t e , h o p r o v a t o u n o spavento incredibile! When I saw the snake, I felt an incredible fright! La tua stanza è così dis- ordinata, fa spavento! Your room is so messy, it's shocking! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Spavento: Italy's word for Spooky Season © Rosshelen | Dreamstime.com 1 to look 2 girl 3 man 4 light 5 Monday 6 two 7 to run 8 one 9 car 10 father 11 friend 12 table 13 book 14 woman 15 boy 16 hand A C R O S S D O W N ITALIAN WORD SEARCH The solution to these word games will be available on the next edition. Games courtesy of Lexis Rex

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