venticello

Italian

Etymology

From vento (“wind”) +‎ -icello (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ven.tiˈt͡ʃɛl.lo/
• Rhymes: -ɛllo
• Hyphenation: ven‧ti‧cèl‧lo

Noun

venticello m (plural venticelli)

1. breeze

   Synonyms: brezza, zefiro

   • 2019, George Orwell, translated by Nicola Gardini, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mondadori:

     Nei frastagli del filare di confine i rami degli olmi ondeggiavano quasi impercettibilmente al venticello; le foglie si muovevano appena in dense masse che ricordavano i capelli delle donne.

     In the ragged hedge on the opposite side the boughs of the elm trees swayed just perceptibly in the breeze, and their leaves stirred faintly in dense masses like women’s hair.

     (literally, “In the jagged lining of the border the elm branches fluttered almost imperceptibly in the breeze; the leaves barely moved in dense masses that resembled women's hair.”)