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naufragio

shipwreck

noun now-FRAH-joh Rare

Origin: Latin naufragium, from navis (ship) + frangere (to break)

Usage Note

Naufragio refers to both the event of a ship sinking and, figuratively, total ruin or failure (il naufragio di un progetto). The person who survives a shipwreck is a naufrago (masculine) or naufraga (feminine). The plural is regular: naufragi.

Examples

"Il naufragio causò molte vittime."

Natural Translation

The shipwreck caused many victims.

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