favella
English edit
Noun edit
favella (plural favellas)
- Alternative form of favela
Italian edit
Pronunciation edit
Etymology 1 edit
Deverbal from favellare (“to speak, talk”) + -a.
Noun edit
favella f (plural favelle)
- (uncountable) speech (ability)
- L'uomo ha il dono della favella. ― Man has the gift of speech.
- speech, utterance
- mid 1300s–mid 1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XVIII”, in Inferno [Hell][1], lines 52–54; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate][2], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
- […] Mal volontier lo dico; ¶ ma sforzami la tua chiara favella, ¶ che mi fa sovvenir del mondo antico.
- Unwillingly I tell it; but forces me thine utterance distinct, which makes me recollect the ancient world.
- (literary) language, tongue
- l'italica favella ― the Italian language
Related terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb edit
favella
- inflection of favellare:
Maltese edit
Etymology edit
Probably borrowed from Italian favarella.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
favella f
Romansch edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Latin fabella, diminutive of fābula, or from a derivative of Vulgar Latin *fabellāre.
Noun edit
favella f (plural favellas)
Usage notes edit
Implies a strong emotional attachment. Used almost exclusively to refer to Romansch itself.