scaldare

to heat; to warm up

verb skahl-DAH-reh Rare

Origin: From s- (intensifying prefix) + caldo (hot), from Latin calidus.

Usage Note

Scaldare takes avere as its auxiliary: ho scaldato (I warmed up). The reflexive scaldarsi means to warm oneself or to get heated/excited ('si è scaldato' can mean 'he got worked up'). Note: caldo in Italian means 'hot/warm', not 'cold' — a classic false friend for English speakers.

Examples

"Scalda il latte prima di aggiungerlo al caffè."

Natural Translation

Warm the milk before adding it to the coffee.

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