contadina

English

Etymology

From Italian contadina.

Noun

contadina (plural contadinas or contadine)

1. An Italian peasant woman.
   • 1903, Henry James, The Ambassadors‎^[1]:

     The mellowest lamplight and the easiest chair had been placed at his disposal by Baptiste—subtlest of servants; the novel half uncut, the novel lemon-coloured and tender, with the ivory knife athwart it like a dagger in a contadina's hair, had been pushed within the soft circle—a circle which, for some reason, affected Strether as softer still after the same Baptiste had remarked that, in the absence of a further need of anything by Monsieur, he would betake himself to bed.

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kon.taˈdi.na/
• Rhymes: -ina
• Hyphenation: con‧ta‧dì‧na

Adjective

contadina

1. feminine singular of contadino

Noun

contadina f (plural contadine, diminutive contadinèlla or contadinétta or contadinòtta, pejorative contadinàccia)

1. female equivalent of contadino
2. (dance) the name of a particular dance, danced in a circle by only men
3. (music) the music that accompanies that dance

Further reading

• contadina in Aldo Gabrielli, Grandi Dizionario Italiano (Hoepli)
• contadìna in Dizionario Italiano Olivetti, Olivetti Media Communication