Sasso
NOUN [masculine]
Meaning and English translation 🔖
Stone, Rock
🇬🇧 A fragment of stone of various sizes, smaller than a rock. It can be natural or shaped.
🇮🇹 Frammento di pietra di varie dimensioni, più piccolo di una roccia. Può essere naturale o lavorato.
| Masculine ♂️ | Feminine ♀️ | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | il - un sasso | - |
| Plural | i - dei sassi | - |
Example sentences 💬
Ho trovato un sasso a forma di cuore sulla spiaggia.
I found a heart-shaped stone on the beach.
Il sentiero di montagna era pieno di sassi scivolosi.
The mountain path was full of slippery stones.
Il bambino ha lanciato un sasso nello stagno per vedere i cerchi nell'acqua.
The child threw a stone into the pond to see the ripples in the water.
This article is brought to you by Giulia School, where you can learn Italian the natural way—with real conversations and passionate teachers guiding you every step of the journey. It’s the closest thing to immersion you can get without living in Italy. Click here to learn more.
Idioms with sasso 🇮🇹
Togliersi un sassolino dalla scarpa
→ To get something off one's chest (literally: to remove a little stone from one's shoe)
Dopo anni di silenzio, finalmente si è tolto il sassolino dalla scarpa e ha detto quello che pensava del capo.
After years of keeping quiet, he finally got it off his chest and said what he thought about the boss.
Note: sassolino is a diminutive of sasso. We do not use sassino.
Restare di sasso
→ To be stunned
Quando ho saputo la notizia sono restato di sasso.
When I heard the news, I was completely stunned.
Avere il cuore di sasso
→ To have a heart of stone
Non si è commosso neanche un po'. Ha proprio il cuore di sasso.
He wasn't moved at all. He really has a heart of stone.
Tirare il sasso e nascondere la mano
→ To play innocent / to avoid taking responsibility (Literal: To throw the stone and hide one's hand)
Non fare come al solito: tiri il sasso e nascondi la mano.
Don't do your usual thing: causing trouble and then playing innocent.
Lanciare un sasso nello stagno
→ To stir the pot; To shake things up (Literal: To throw a stone into the pond)
Il suo articolo ha lanciato un sasso nello stagno e ora tutti ne parlano.
His article stirred up controversy and now everyone's talking about it.
A un tiro di sasso
→ A stone's throw away
Abitiamo a un tiro di sasso dalla piazza principale.
We live just a stone's throw from the main square.
Far piangere i sassi
→ To evoke deep pity (Literal: To make the stones cry)
La sua storia è così triste che farebbe piangere i sassi.
His story is so sad it would make the stones cry.
Duro come un sasso
→ As hard as a rock
Questo pane è duro come un sasso, dev'essere vecchio.
This bread is hard as a rock, it must be old.
Where does the word sasso come from? 🔎
Sasso comes from the Latin saxum, which meant a large stone or rock. Latin also had the word lapis, which referred to a smaller or worked stone. Over time, saxum evolved into sasso in Italian, keeping a similar meaning.
In Italy, several famous places bear the name "sasso".
- The Gran Sasso d'Italia is the highest mountain in the Apennines, the mountain range that runs through the country's center. Located in Abruzzo, its highest peak, Corno Grande, is 2,912 meters high.
- The Sassi di Matera are located in Basilicata and comprise an ancient settlement with houses carved directly into the rock. This site is particularly special as it's one of Italy's oldest continuously inhabited places. Since 1993, the Sassi di Matera have been a UNESCO World Heritage site, recognising their outstanding historical and cultural value.
