capisce
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Etymology [edit]
- From Neapolitan capisci, second person present tense form of capire (“to understand”), from Latin capere (“to grasp, seize”)
- "capisce" is the American writing version of the Neapolitan pronunciation of "capisci". There aren't dialectal complications in the transition between the two languages.
- "capisce", in Neapolitan, is used only to address the second person formally or to express that a third person (he, she, it) understands
Pronunciation [edit]
Interjection [edit]
capisce
- (slang) "Get it?"; "Understand?".
- 1995 Bart Simpson. The Simpsons, episode 3F07.
- Brodka: Hey, kid: one more thing. If you ever set foot in this store again, you'll be spending Christmas in juvenile hall. Capisce? Well, do you understand?
- Bart: Everything except "capisce."
- 1996 Andy and Larry Wachowski, Bound, Dino De Laurentiis Productions and Spelling Films
- Gino Marzzone: You gotta start respecting Johnny, the way you respect me. Capisce?
- 1997 Eric Bogosian. Notes from Underground, page 138
- It's very simple, George, you forget about this whole licensing lawsuit pipe dream of yours or you can forget about your buddy working in my factory for the next couple of years. I will be that angry. Capiche?
- 2003 Richard Chiappone. Water of an Undetermined Depth
- I mean, if you were coming into the plant for the long haul, God forbid, then you'd have to think seriously about the money. Capiche?
- 1995 Bart Simpson. The Simpsons, episode 3F07.
Usage notes [edit]
- Often used in a threatening manner, suggesting the Italian Mafia.
- Without a question mark at the end, it is sometimes used to mean, “I understand,” as an American colloquialism. In Italian, that would actually mean “he/she/it understands”. To mean “I understand,” one would actually say “capisco.”
Translations [edit]
"understood?"
Anagrams [edit]
Italian [edit]
Verb form [edit]
capisce
