Italian edit

Etymology edit

From puzzo (smell, stink) +‎ -are (1st conjugation verbal suffix).

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /putˈt͡sa.re/
  • Rhymes: -are
  • Hyphenation: puz‧zà‧re

Verb edit

puzzàre (first-person singular present pùzzo, first-person singular past historic puzzài, past participle puzzàto, auxiliary avére)

  1. (intransitive) to smell (bad) or stink [auxiliary avere]
    La stanza puzza di fumoThe room smells like cigarettes (literally, “The room smells like smoke”)
  2. (intransitive, figurative) to cause worry or unease [auxiliary avere]
  3. (intransitive, figurative) to be annoying or irritating [auxiliary avere]
  4. (intransitive, figurative) to give an impression, to seem [+ di (object) = of] [auxiliary avere]
    • 1840, Alessandro Manzoni, “Capitolo XI [Chapter 11]”, in I promessi sposi[1], Tip. Guglielmini e Redaelli, page 222:
      Gervaso, a cui non pareva vero d’essere una volta più informato degli altri, a cui non pareva piccola gloria l’avere avuta una gran paura, a cui, per aver tenuto di mano a una cosa che puzzava di criminale, pareva d’esser diventato un uomo come gli altri, crepava di voglia di vantarsene.
      Jervase, who could scarcely believe that for once he knew a little more than others, who regarded having had a great fear not as a small glory, and who, for having had a hand in what seemed like a criminal affair, felt himself a man like the others, was dying to boast about it.
  5. (intransitive, figurative) to despise, to disdain [auxiliary avere]

Conjugation edit

Derived terms edit

Related terms edit

Further reading edit

  • puzzare in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Anagrams edit