favella
English
Noun
favella (plural favellas)
- Alternative form of favela.
Italian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /faˈvɛl.la/
- Rhymes: -ɛlla
- Hyphenation: fa‧vèl‧la
Etymology 1
Deverbal from favellare (“to speak, talk”) + -a.
Noun
favella f (plural favelle)
- (uncountable) speech (ability)
- L'uomo ha il dono della favella. ― Man has the gift of speech.
- speech, utterance
- 1300s–1310s, Dante Alighieri, “Canto XVIII”, in Inferno [Hell], lines 52–54; republished as Giorgio Petrocchi, editor, La Commedia secondo l'antica vulgata [The Commedia according to the ancient vulgate], 2nd revised edition, Florence: publ. Le Lettere, 1994:
- […] Mal volontier lo dico; ¶ ma sforzami la tua chiara favella, ¶ che mi fa sovvenir del mondo antico.
- Unwillingly I tell it; but forces me thine utterance distinct, which makes me recollect the ancient world.
- (literary) language, tongue
- l'italica favella ― the Italian language
Related terms
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
favella
- inflection of favellare:
- third-person singular present indicative
- second-person singular imperative
Maltese
Etymology
Probably borrowed from Italian favarella.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /faˈvɛl.la/
- Rhymes: -ɛlla
Noun
favella f
- chickling vetch (Lathyrus sativus)
- Synonyms: favetta, ċiċċarda
Romansch
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Latin fabella, diminutive of fābula, or from a derivative of Vulgar Latin *fabellāre.
Noun
favella f (plural favellas)
- (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter, Vallader, poetic) language
Usage notes
Implies a strong emotional attachment. Used almost exclusively to refer to Romansch itself.