nanico

dwarf

adjective NAH-nee-koh Rare

Also means

miniature

Usage Note

Nanico means very small or dwarf-like, and is commonly used in botany and agriculture to describe dwarf varieties of plants or animals — un albero nanico (a dwarf tree). As a descriptor of people it can be offensive. The feminine is nanica, plural nanici/naniche.

Examples

"Hanno piantato una varietà nanica di melo."

Natural Translation

They planted a dwarf variety of apple tree.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

How to Order Coffee in Italy Like a Local

Order coffee in Italy like a local: say un caffè (not espresso), pay at the cassa first, drink al banco, and skip the latte trap. Phrases inside.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Noun Gender: Rules, Endings & Exceptions

Italian noun gender decoded: -o is usually masculine, -a feminine, but -zione and -tà are feminine, -ore and -ma masculine. Plus the trap words to memorize.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Prepositions: A, In, Di, Da, Su Made Simple

Cities take a, countries take in, origin is di, agents are da. Master the five Italian prepositions a, in, di, da, su and their contractions fast.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Most Common Italian Verbs: The 10 That Unlock Speech

Drill these 10 most common Italian verbs first and you unlock past tense, modals, and the progressive — a 7-day plan with every present-tense form to memorize.

June 9, 2026 5 min read