spia

spy

noun SPEE-ah Rare

Origin: From Old High German speha (watch, reconnaissance); borrowed into Italian via medieval Germanic contact.

Also means

indicator light; informer

Usage Note

Spia is grammatically feminine regardless of the referent's sex: una spia serves for both a male and a female spy. In everyday speech it also means a warning indicator light on a dashboard (la spia del carburante, the fuel warning light) or, informally, a telltale/informer (fare la spia = to snitch).

Examples

"La spia ha trasmesso informazioni segrete al nemico."

Natural Translation

The spy transmitted secret information to the enemy.

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