itālis
See also: italis
Latvian
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin italus, itself possibly a borrowing from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Oscan [script needed] (Víteliú), a name for the southwestern tip of the boot of Italy (today's Calabria), possibly a cognate of Latin vitulus (“calf”), meaning perhaps “land of cattle.” Other theories include the name of a ancient or legendary leader Italus, or also an old borrowing from Illyrian.
Pronunciation
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Noun
itālis m (2nd declension, feminine form: itāliete)
- Italic; a member of the ancient Italic peoples of primitive Italy
- Italian (i.e., a man born in Italy)
- (genitive plural) Italian; pertaining to Italy and its people
- itāļu valoda ― the Italian language
Usage notes
The noun itālietis is preferred in almost all senses; itālis is most often used in the plural itāļi to refer to the Italic peoples of ancient (pre-Roman) Italy. The only exception is the name of the Italian language, for which itāļu valoda is as frequent as itāliešu valoda.
Declension
Declension of itālis (2nd declension)