polve

Italian

Etymology

Inherited from Latin pulvis (“dust”), via the nominative. Doublet of polvere, from the Latin accusative pulverem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpol.ve/
• Rhymes: -olve
• Hyphenation: pól‧ve

Noun

polve f (plural polvi) (poetic)

1. dust
   • 1825, Vincenzo Monti, transl., Iliade [Iliad], Milan: Giovanni Resnati e Gius. Bernardoni di Gio, translation of Ἰλιάς (Iliás) by Homer, published 1840, Libro XVI, page 368, lines 1019–1021:

     E si bruttaro del cimier le creste ¶ di sangue e polve; nè di polve in pria ¶ insozzar quel cimiero era concesso

     And the helms' crests became soiled with blood and dust; nor, firstly, it was allowed to soil that helm with dust

   • 1835, Giacomo Leopardi with Alessandro Donati, “I. All'Italia [To Italy]”, in Canti‎^[1], Bari: Einaudi, published 1917, page 7, lines 134–136:

     […] Io veggio, o parmi, ¶ un fluttuar di fanti e di cavalli, ¶ e fumo e polve, e luccicar di spade ¶ come tra nebbia lampi.

     I see, oh, around me, the swell of troops and horsemen, smoke, dust, the glitter of swords, like lightning in the mist.

   Synonym: polvere

2. Figurative meanings:
   1. ashes (remains after cremation)
      • 1807, Ugo Foscolo, Dei Sepolcri‎^[2], Molini, Landi e comp., published 1809, page 11:

        […] e fu temuto ¶ su la polve degli avi il giuramento

        and it was feared, the oath upon the ashes of the forefathers

      Synonym: ceneri

3. the body
   • 1321, Dante Alighieri, La divina commedia: Paradiso, Le Monnier, published 2002, Canto II, page 45, lines 133–135:

     E come l'alma dentro a vostra polve ¶ per differenti membra e conformate ¶ a diverse potenze si risolve […]

     And even as the soul within your dust through members different and accommodated to faculties diverse expands itself […]

Related terms

• polvere

Anagrams

• volpe