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trattino

hyphen; dash

noun traht-TEE-noh Rare

Origin: Diminutive of tratto (stroke/line), from Latin 'tractus'

Usage Note

Trattino is the small hyphen or short dash used in writing. Italian distinguishes trattino breve (hyphen, '-') from trattino lungo (em dash, '—'). It is also used in compound words: blu-ray uses a trattino. Do not confuse with lineetta (which specifically refers to the em dash in some style guides) or sottolineato (underscore).

Examples

"Usa il trattino per unire le due parole."

Natural Translation

Use the hyphen to join the two words.

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