Languages › Italian Sicilian-English Dictionary: Basic Vocabulary Learn some basic Sicilian words Share Flipboard Email Print The Mediterranean was history's original crossroads. Norman conquerors from northern France built this castle in Sicily in the 1100s. ©Karen Tina Harrison Italian Vocabulary History & Culture Grammar By Michael San Filippo Michael San Filippo Italian Expert M.A., Italian Studies, Middlebury College B.A., Biology, Northeastern University Michael San Filippo co-wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture. He is a tutor of Italian language and culture. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 24, 2020 Sicilian, a language all of its own not derived from Italian but rather developed alongside Italian, is spoken in Sicily and in parts of southern Italy such as Reggio Calabria and southern Puglia. The language, whose origins long predate Roman presence in Italy, is derived from Semitic languages, Greek, Latin, and Arabic, with Catalan, French, and German influences. Following is a dictionary of often-used Sicilian words. Note that there are no entries for the letters h, j, k, w, x, and y because there are no words in Sicilian beginning with those letters. "A" Words abbrazzari to embrace abbunnanzza abundance abiti clothes accappatoriu bathrobe accenniri to light up accettari to accept acchiappari to grab accuminzari to begin aceddu bird acitu sour acitu vinegar acula eagle addivintari to become agghiu garlic agustu August aieri yesterday alagusta lobster albergu hotel almenu at least americanu American ammazzari to kill ananassu pineapple aneddu ring annu year annuiari to annoy antipaticu nasty apertu open appenniri to hang aringa herring ariuportu airport arvulu tree assegnu check assulatu sunny attentu careful attrici actress auitu high autru another aviri to have avvucatu lawyer azzurru blue "B" Terms babbu stupid baccalaru dry salted cod bagagghiu baggage bagnu bath balena whale ballari to dance bannera flag barcuni balcony Baroccu Baroque batellu boat battiri to knock bedda beautiful beddu handsome beni well benvinutu welcome biancu white bibblioteca library biddizza beauty bigliettu ticket binariu train platform birritta cap biscottu biscuit bisognu need bistecca steak biunnu blond bivanna drink biviri to drink bona notti good night bona sira good evening bon giornu good morning bonu good bracciulettu bracelet brazzu arm brodu broth buggiardu liar burru butter bursa handbag busta envelope buttigghia bottle buttuni button "C" Words caccociuli artichokes caffè doppiu double espresso caffè macchiatu coffee with a drop of milk calendariu calendar camiuni truck canciari to change; to exchange cannolu sweet ricotta-filled tube cantu corner canusciri to get to know cappeddu hat cappuccinu cappuccino capu boss, leader cartellu road sign casedda toolbooth cattidrali cathedral cavaddu horse cca here cecu blind celu sky centu hundred chianciri to cry chiù more chiudiri to close chiummu lead chiuvusu rainy ciciri chickpeas cipudda onion ciriveddu brain cocciutu stubborn cociri to cook cognetturari to guess comunqui however, anyway cori heart coriu leather corpu body costruiri to construct cotidianu newspaper cuda tail cumeddia comedy cuscinu cousin "D" Terms danaru money danniggiari to injure dannu damage dari to give dda there debbitu debt debbuli weak deci ten decidiri to decide defenniri to defend depositu deposit desiderari to desire destinu destiny deviri to have to diavulu devil diggiriri to digest dilicatu sensitive, delicate dintista dentist direttu local train diri to say, tell diriggiri to direct discursu speech disponibbili available distanti distant Diu God divertimentu pleasure dollaru dollar doppu afterward dormiri to sleep dubbiu doubt duci sweet duluri pain dumani tomorrow dumanna question dumannari to inquire duminica Sunday duru hard dutturi doctor duviri to have to duzzina dozen "E" Words eccu here is / are eccettu except effettivu effective eleganti stylish eliggiri to elect enormi huge eredi heir esami exam esempiu example esercitu army eserciziu exercise esibbizzioni exhibition esistiri to exist esitari to hesitate esoticu exotic espressu express train essiri to be estati summer esteri foreign ettu etto (one-tenth of a kilo) "F–Z" Terms fabbricari to build facci face facili easy falliri to fail falsu false famigghia family fari headlights fasoli beans favuri favor fedda (fetta) slice felici happy fermari to stop ferru iron fichi figs ficu d'India prickly pear figatu liver figghia daughter figghiu son fimmina woman finiri to finish finocchiu fennel finu a up to fivraru February focu fire fora outside fraguli strawberries frasi sentence frevi fever friddu cold frittu fried fudda crowd fumari to smoke fumu smoke funci mushrooms funnu bottom furiusu furious furmaggiu cheese furnu oven furtizza fortress furtuna fortune gabbinettu office gaddina chicken gambaretti shrimps gattu cat gelatu ice cream gemellu twin generusu generous genituri parent genti people ghiaccaia refrigerator giardinu garden gileccu vest gilusu jealous girari to turn giru tour giucattulu toy giugnu June giurari to swear giuvini young gradinu stair gradu degree grammu gram granni large granturcu corn granu wheat grassu fat gratuitu free gravi serious grazii thanks grazziusu pretty gridari to scream grossu big guadagnu gain guardari to look guarizzioni cure guastari to spoil gudiri to enjoy guidari to drive gula throat gustu flavor idda she iddi they iddu he imparari to learn impiegu employment imprisa enterprise inabbili unable incantu charm incartari to wrap incirari to wax inclusu included incompetenti incompetent incontru meeting incruciamentu intersection incuntrari to meet indetru back indirizzu address individuu individual infernu hell ingannu fraud inglisi English innamuratu lover innaru January innuccenti innocent insazziabbili insatiable insettu insect insignari to teach intendiri to intend internu inside interrugari to interrogate inveci instead inventari to invent invernu winter invitu invitation iri to go istintu instinct istruiri to instruct isula island isulari to isolate iu stissu myself jinchiri to fill jinnaru January jiri to go jiritu finger jiritu du pedi toe jisari to raise jocu game jocu di cauciu soccer jornu day jucari to play jurnata the whole day lagnusu lazy lagu lake lanciari to launch lapisi pencil largu wide, broad lassari to let; leave latru thief latti milk lattuca lettuce latu side lavari to wash lavuraturi worker lavuri in corsu work in progress lazzi di scarpi shoelaces leggiri to read lentu slow; slowly lettu bed lezzioni lesson libbertà liberty libberu free libbru book ligari to attach liggenna legend liggitimu legal lignu wood limonata lemonade limuni lemon lisciu smooth litru liter littra letter locu place lordu dirty lu it luci light lunghizza length lungu long luntanu far lutta struggle magghia undershirt maggiu May maggiuranza majority magnificu grand maistru master malancunia melancholy malatu sick malevulu malevolent malu bad manu hand manzu beef maravigghiusu wonderful marciu rotten mari sea marinaru seaman marruni brown marzu March masculu male massaggiu massage matarazzu mattress matri mother mbriacu drunk mbrugghiuni crook menzu half mettiri to put midicina medicine minimu minimum minsogna lie mirruzzu cod misi month miu mine molu pier mortu dead moturi motor mulinu mill muluni melon munnu world mustrari to show mutanni underwear muturi motor nannu grandfather nastru tape nasu nose natali Christmas natari to swim navi ship navigari to navigate nazzioni nation negari to deny negativu negative negghia fog negozziu store nemicu enemy nenti nothing nesciri to go out nessunu nobody nfurnari to bake nicu small niputi nephew, niece; grandchild nisciuta exit niuri black nivi snow nnamurarisi to fall in love nnomu name nordu north nostru our; ours notti night novu new nquantu regarding nsemuli together nsultari to insult nsumma finally ntantu meanwhile nticchiatu dressed up nucevuli harmful nucidda hazelnut nuddu nobody nuliggiari to hire nutizzia news nuvulusu cloudy obbidiri to obey obbligu duty occasioni occasion occhiali pô suli sunglasses occhiata glance occhiu eye occidenti west oceanu ocean odiari to detest odiu hatred offenniri to insult officiali official offriri to offer ogghiu oil oliu oil olivi olives omettiri to omit ommini men omu man onestu honest onoratu honored opuru or orali oral orariu timetable ordinari to command organizzari to organize oricchia ear origgini origin orlu hem ornari to decorate; to adorn orribbili horrible orridu hideous oru gold ospitali hospital ospitu guest ossu bone otteniri acquire ottu eight ottubbri October ovali oval pacenza patience paci peace palazzu palace paninu sandwich, bread roll panza belly paradisu paradise paragunari to compare parcheggiu parking parcu park paredda frying pan parrari to talk, speak partitu political party pastu meal pazzu insane peggiu worse periculusu dangerous piattu plate picciotta girl picciottu boy picciridda small girl picciriddu small boy pinna pen pinseru thought pi piaciri please pirdutu lost pirsuna person pisci fish pisedda pea pitittu appetite pocu few pollipu octopus pomeriggiu afternoon postinu mailman pranzu lunch pregu you are welcome prestu quickly pri for prigiuni prison pumudamuru tomato putiri to be able to qualchi some qualcunu someone qualunqui whatever quannu when quantu how much quarchi cosa something quarchi vota sometimes quasetta sock quattru four quinnici fifteen racina grape radiaturi radiator radici root radirsi to shave oneself raggia anger rapidu fast, rapid raru rare rassimigghiari to resemble reali royal regulari regular resistiri to resist ricanusciri to acknowledge riccu rich ricivirito receive ridiri to laugh rifiutari to refuse rigalu gift riggidu rigid riggina queen rilogiu clock ripetiri to repeat ripusari to rest ripustigghiu closet rispettu respect rispunniri to answer, reply ristituiri to refund risu rice ritardari to delay ritirari to withdraw ritrattu portrait riturnari to return robbustu robust rologeria watchmaker romanzu novel rosariu rosary rotunnu round rozzu boorish rubbari to steal russu red ruttu broken sabbatu Saturday sacrifizziu sacrifice sacru sacred saldu sale sangu blood sanu healthy sapiri to know sapuri taste sartu tailor sarvaggiu wild sarvari to save sbrigarisi to hurry scandatu afraid scannalu scandal scanusciutu stranger scarsu scarce scatula box sceccu donkey scinniri to get off, step down scioccu stupid scuperta discovery scupiri to discover scuraggiutu discouraged scuru dark sempri always severu severe sfari to undo sicilianu Sicilian significari to mean simana week sinnacu mayor sira evening sissanta sixty sonnu dream sordi money soru sister spagu string stidda star surdatu soldier suttasupra upside-down tacchinu turkey tagghiari to cut tali such taliari to look at tappitu rug tarantula spider tartuca turtle tauru bull tavula table telefunu telephone televisioni television temperatura temperature tempu weather; time teniri to hold terribbili terrible terzu third ti yourself tiatru theater timidu timid timpesta storm tingiuti dyed tipu type tisoru treasure torcicoddu stiff neck tradizzioni tradition traghettu ferry tranquillu tranquil trasiri to enter tratturia small restaurant travagghiari to work travirsari to cross trenu train tri three tridici thirteen trumma trumpet truvari to find tu you tunnu tuna turnari to turn tuvagghia di bagnu beach towel u the, it uguali equal ultimu last u massimu most u megghiu best unna where unnici eleven unu someone ura hour uragunu hurricane urlari to shout urtu shock usari to use utili useful vagnatu wet vaguni wagon valuri value vanu vain varcocu apricot vasari to kiss vasciu low vasu kiss verbu verb verificari to verify veru true viaggiari to travel viaggiu travel viaggiu di nozzi honeymoon vicinu near vidiri to see vidua widow vigliaccu coward villaggiu village villutu velvet vinciri to win vinniri to sell vinnitta vengeance vintusu windy vinti twenty vinu wine virdura vegetable virgogna shame vistitu costume; suit vistu visa viteddu veal viulinu violin vivu alive vizziu vice volu flight voscu forest vrazzu arm vugghienti hot vugghiri to boil vuscari to earn zainu backpack zibbibbu Sicilian grape ziu uncle zoppu lame zuccaru sugar Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Filippo, Michael San. "Sicilian-English Dictionary: Basic Vocabulary." ThoughtCo, Sep. 8, 2021, thoughtco.com/sicilian-english-dictionary-2011651. Filippo, Michael San. (2021, September 8). Sicilian-English Dictionary: Basic Vocabulary. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/sicilian-english-dictionary-2011651 Filippo, Michael San. "Sicilian-English Dictionary: Basic Vocabulary." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/sicilian-english-dictionary-2011651 (accessed June 4, 2023). copy citation By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies