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pollice

thumb

noun POHL-lee-cheh Rare

Origin: From Latin pollex, pollicis (thumb).

Also means

inch

Usage Note

Pollice has two meanings: the thumb (il pollice della mano) and the inch as a unit of measurement (un pollice = 2,54 cm). In everyday use, pollice su (thumb up) and pollice giù (thumb down) mirror the English social-media gestures. The plural is pollici. Note that dito (finger) has an irregular collective plural le dita (f pl), but pollice pluralises regularly as pollici (m pl).

Examples

"Ha alzato il pollice in segno di approvazione."

Natural Translation

He raised his thumb as a sign of approval.

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