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C2  ·  24 words

Floristry and ornamental growing in Italian

Cut flowers go on living after the cut, but not for long.

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From these 24 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.

More about this list

Entry nine is la cultivar, and it is the one word on this page that English gave away and now meets wearing somebody else’s clothes. It was coined in English in the 1920s, by contracting « cultivated » and « variety » into a single term for a plant sorted out by growers rather than by nature, and it went from there into the international codes and into every other language of the trade. Italian took it whole, letters and all, and then did to it what it does to any borrowed noun that ends in a consonant. It handed the word a gender, feminine, because the thing standing behind it is la varietà; and it refused to let the plural move, so the trade says una cultivar resistente and le cultivar più diffuse, never le cultivars. For an English reader the thing to carry away is therefore not the meaning, which came back unchanged, but the two marks added on the journey: the article now carries the gender, the adjective carries the number, and the noun itself stands still.

The words

Noun (m) (9)

Grammar for these: Definite article: il, lo, la · Indefinite article: un, uno

il fiore recisothe cut flowerNoun (m)C2
Il fiore reciso continua a bere per giorni.The cut flower goes on drinking for days.
il trattamento post-raccoltapost-harvest treatmentNoun (m)C2
Il trattamento post-raccolta avviene già in serra.Post-harvest treatment already happens in the glasshouse.
il conservante per fiorithe flower foodNoun (m)C2
Il conservante per fiori nutre e disinfetta insieme.Flower food feeds and disinfects at the same time.
l’orologio d’astathe auction clockNoun (m)C2
All’orologio d’asta il prezzo scende finché qualcuno preme.At the auction clock the price falls until somebody presses.
il trasporto aereoair freightNoun (m)C2
Il trasporto aereo porta le rose in una notte.Air freight brings the roses over in one night.
il certificato fitosanitariothe phytosanitary certificateNoun (m)C2
Senza certificato fitosanitario la partita resta in dogana.Without a phytosanitary certificate the consignment stays in customs.
il mazzo di fiorithe bunch of flowersNoun (m)C2
Il mazzo di fiori si tiene in mano.A bunch of flowers is held in the hand.
il fiore focalethe focal flowerNoun (m)C2
Il fiore focale attira l’occhio per primo.The focal flower catches the eye first.
il verde di complementothe filler foliageNoun (m)C2
Il verde di complemento riempie i vuoti.Filler foliage fills the gaps.

Noun (f) (15)

Grammar for these: Definite article: il, lo, la · Indefinite article: un, uno

la durata in vasothe vase lifeNoun (f)C2
La durata in vaso dipende dall’acqua pulita.Vase life depends on clean water.
la sensibilità all’etilenesensitivity to ethyleneNoun (f)C2
La sensibilità all’etilene rovina i garofani accanto alla frutta.Sensitivity to ethylene ruins carnations standing next to fruit.
la cella frigoriferathe cold storeNoun (f)C2
La cella frigorifera ferma quasi tutto.The cold store halts almost everything.
la cultivarthe cultivarNoun (f)C2
Questa cultivar regge meglio il viaggio.This cultivar stands the journey better.
la privativa vegetalethe plant variety rightNoun (f)C2
La privativa vegetale vieta di moltiplicare la pianta.The plant variety right forbids anyone to propagate the plant.
la difesa integrataintegrated pest managementNoun (f)C2
La difesa integrata usa insetti utili prima dei veleni.Integrated pest management uses beneficial insects before poisons.
la composizione florealethe floral arrangementNoun (f)C2
La composizione floreale sta in una ciotola bassa.The floral arrangement sits in a shallow bowl.
la tecnica a spiralethe spiral techniqueNoun (f)C2
La tecnica a spirale tiene i gambi ordinati.The spiral technique keeps the stems in order.
la spugna florealethe floral foamNoun (f)C2
La spugna floreale va bagnata senza premere.Floral foam must be soaked without pressing it.
la legatura con il filowiring a stemNoun (f)C2
La legatura con il filo regge un gambo debole.Wiring holds up a weak stem.
la composizione funebrethe funeral arrangementNoun (f)C2
La composizione funebre si consegna il mattino stesso.The funeral arrangement is delivered the same morning.
la floristica nuzialewedding floristryNoun (f)C2
La floristica nuziale si decide mesi prima.Wedding floristry is settled months in advance.
l’esposizione della mercethe display of the goodsNoun (f)C2
L’esposizione della merce cambia ogni settimana.The display of the goods changes every week.
la pianta in vasothe pot plantNoun (f)C2
La pianta in vaso resiste più a lungo del fiore reciso.The pot plant lasts longer than the cut flower.
la certificazione del commercio equofair trade certificationNoun (f)C2
La certificazione del commercio equo riguarda anche i fiori.Fair trade certification covers flowers as well.

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