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pulce

flea

noun POOL-cheh Rare
Animals & Nature Insects

Origin: From Latin pulex.

Usage Note

Pulce is feminine despite ending in -e: la pulce. The idiom avere la pulce nell'orecchio ('to have a flea in one's ear') means to be suspicious or to have nagging doubts — a very common expression. The plural is regular: le pulci.

Examples

"Il gatto aveva le pulci."

Natural Translation

The cat had fleas.

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