Meaning & use
malocchio
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableregionalreligion
In Italian folk belief, a curse or harmful look believed to cause bad luck or illness.
Grammar: Uncountable; used with 'the' when referring to the specific belief: 'the malocchio'.
Patterns
- the malocchio
- cast the malocchio on someone
In southern Italian villages, some people still wear a horn-shaped charm to protect against the malocchio.
She blamed her sudden illness on the malocchio, though her doctor found a simple infection.
The old woman muttered a prayer to remove the malocchio from the newborn baby.
Common combinations
- cast the malocchio
- He joked that his mother-in-law had cast the malocchio on his car.
- protect against the malocchio
- They hung a little red horn above the door to protect against the malocchio.
- remove the malocchio
- A local healer was called to remove the malocchio from the family.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: malocchio or malaria?
malocchio vs malaria
Malaria is a serious disease spread by mosquitoes; malocchio is a folk belief about bad luck, not a medical condition.
Practice
In Italian folklore, what is the malocchio?
Choose one answer.
The malocchio is the Italian term for the evil eye, a curse or harmful look. The other options are unrelated Italian cultural items or general words.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “malocchio”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.