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mostro

monster

noun MOH-stroh Rare

Origin: Latin monstrum, 'omen, portent, monster,' from monere 'to warn.'

Usage Note

Mostro is masculine (i mostri). Colloquially it can be used as a compliment: sei un mostro! can mean 'you're incredible!' (a beast at something). It also appears in mostro sacro, an Italian idiom for a legendary, towering figure in a field (like a 'legend' or 'giant' in English).

Examples

"Il bambino ha paura del mostro."

Natural Translation

The child is afraid of the monster.

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