Quatto
ADJECTIVE
Meaning and English translation 🔖
Crouched, Quiet, Stealthy
🇬🇧 Moving or staying silent and cautious to avoid being noticed.
🇮🇹 Che si muove o sta in silenzio e con cautela per non farsi notare.
Note: usually repeated twice as quatto quatto (cf. below).
| Masculine ♂️ | Feminine ♀️ | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | Quatto | Quatta |
| Plural | Quatti | Quatte |
Example sentences 💬
Per non farmi vedere, sono stata quatta quatta dietro al cespuglio per 10 minuti.
I stood quiet behind the bush for 10 minutes to keep out of sight.
Quell’attore rimane quatto quatto sullo sfondo per tutto lo spettacolo.
That actor remains still in the background throughout the play.
Quando sono in ritardo, gli adolescenti entrano in casa quatti quatti per non farsi scoprire dai genitori.
When they are late, teenagers sneak into the house quietly so as not to be discovered by their parents.
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Idioms with quatto 🇮🇹
Zitto zitto, quatto quatto.
→ Quietly and discreetly
Zitto zitto, quatto quatto, ha finito il progetto prima di tutti, senza dire una parola.
Without a word, and quietly, he finished the project before everyone else.
Where does the word quatto come from? 🔎
Quatto originates from the Latin word coactus, the past participle of cogĕre, meaning "to collect, amass, force." The term evolved to describe someone crouched down or pressed close to the ground, trying to remain silent to avoid detection.
Although it was possibly already in use in spoken language, Dante officially introduced this term into Italian vocabulary: In the Inferno (Canto XXI 89), we see the use of quatto in a scene that combines elements of humor and fear. The character Dante, not known for his physical courage, is advised by Virgil to hide from the devils behind rocks.
Did you know that... 🤓
Impress your italian friends with curious facts about Italy and its culture
You may wonder why you are looking at this picture. Well, think about it: what is she doing? A squat. Ok, then?
Five seconds if you want to figure it out before reading it…
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Yes, exactly: SQUAT shares the same origin with QUATTO. This connection is evident in the physical action described by both words—crouching down low to the ground.
Interestingly, even though their meaning is quite close, QUIET and QUATTO don’t, as QUIET comes from the Latin quiēscere (to rest).
Now, I’ll go to the gym to share this fun fact (then I'll go quatta quatta to the Spa 🤫).
