pollice verso
Italian
editEtymology
editBorrowed from Latin pollice versō.
Pronunciation
editNoun
edit- Only used in fare il pollice verso (“to give the thumbs down”)
Usage notes
editAnagrams
editLatin
editEtymology
editLiterally, "with thumb turned".
Pronunciation
edit- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /ˈpol.li.ke ˈu̯er.soː/, [ˈpɔlːʲɪkɛ ˈu̯ɛrs̠oː]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈpol.li.t͡ʃe ˈver.so/, [ˈpɔlːit͡ʃe ˈvɛrso]
Phrase
editUsage notes
editDespite depictions common in movies, it is not clear whether the thumbs up or thumbs down indicated displeasure.
See also
editReferences
edit- “pollice verso”, in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898), Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers