balenare
Italian
Etymology
Uncertain. Perhaps from balena (“whale”), due to a popular habit of indicating atmospherical phenomena using the names of sea monsters[1] + -are (1st conjugation verbal suffix).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ba.leˈna.re/
- Rhymes: -are
- Hyphenation: ba‧le‧nà‧re
Verb
balenàre (first-person singular present baléno, first-person singular past historic balenài, past participle balenàto, auxiliary èssere or (alternatively when impersonal) avére) (intransitive)
- (impersonal) to flash with lightning [auxiliary avere or essere]
- (rare, personal) to flash with lightning (of the sky) [auxiliary essere]
- to flash like lightning [auxiliary essere]
- 1980, Umberto Eco, “Primo giorno – Verso nona”, in Il nome della rosa [The Name of the Rose] (I grandi tascabili), Milan: Bompiani, published 1984, page 77:
- In corrispondenza del torrione occidentale si apriva un enorme forno per il pane che già balenava di fiamme rossastre.
- In correspondence of the western tower opened a huge bread oven that was already flashing reddish flames.
- (figurative) to appear suddenly (of thoughts and ideas) [auxiliary essere]
Conjugation
Conjugation of balenàre (-are) (See Appendix:Italian verbs)
1Alternatively when impersonal.