L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2026 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano I talian has many small w o r d s t h a t a p p e a r simple but have sever- al meanings depend- ing on context. One of these is ovvero (ohv-vai- r o h ) , a w o r d f r e q u e n t l y encountered in written Ital- ian, especially in formal lan- guage, journalism, and acade- mic texts, but that can easily confuse learners because it does not translate in exactly the same way every time. A t i t s m o s t b a s i c l e v e l , ovvero can mean "that is," " n a m e l y , " o r " i n o t h e r words." In this sense, it intro- d u c e s a c l a r i f i c a t i o n o r a more precise explanation of something that has just been mentioned. For example, we can say: L'incontro si terrà martedì, ovvero il 15 aprile. ("The meeting will take place on Tuesday, that is, April 15"). Here, ovvero introduces a specification that explains the previous information more clearly. A n o t h e r c o m m o n u s e a p p e a r s w h e n a s p e a k e r wants to rephrase some- t h i n g u s i n g d i f f e r e n t words: Il problema riguar- da la sostenibilità, ovvero il modo in cui utilizziamo le risorse. ("The issue concerns sustainability, in other words, the way we use resources"). 1 (a plural of) to the; at the 3 (I) weigh; weight 7 uncle 8 (plural of) new 9 deserts 13 west 15 (feminine of) your 16 (feminine of) tall 17 side, edge of e.g. a square Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 (I) raise, lift up 2 lion 4 echo 5 hatred 6 insect 10 (feminine of) all 11 (he/she) flies 12 given 14 east In this case, ovvero func- tions almost like a bridge between an abstract concept and its explanation. However, the word also has a second meaning that sometimes surprises learn- ers. In certain contexts, par- ticularly in older or more for- m a l I t a l i a n , o v v e r o c a n mean "or." This use is less common in everyday conver- sation but still appears fre- quently in legal or bureau- cratic language. For instance: Il documento deve essere fir- mato dal direttore, ovvero dal suo sostituto. ("The docu- ment must be signed by the director, or by his deputy"). T h e d u a l m e a n i n g o f ovvero reflects its origins in Italian linguistic history. The word comes from the expres- sion "o vero," which literal- ly means "or rather." Over time, the two words merged into a single form, and the m e a n i n g s h i f t e d s l i g h t l y depending on how the phrase was used. In some contexts, it emphasized clarification ("or rather, that is"), while in others it simply retained the sense of an alternative ("or"). Il museo chiude il lunedì, ovvero il giorno meno affol- lato della settimana. The museum is closed on Mondays, that is, the least crowded day of the week. Ovvero, a work to make what you say clearer © Pojoslaw | Dreamstime.com 1 Monday 2 girl 3 son 4 face 5 table 6 to drink 7 one 8 to run 9 to turn 10 woman 11 mother 12 hand 13 boy 14 home 15 heart 16 three 17 man 18 head 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 LA VITA ITALIANA TRADIZIONI STORIA CULTURA

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