Leone

Italian word of the day

Origin	From the Latin word leonem, “lion”
Translation	Lion
IPA pronunciation	/ˈleoːne/

Different forms of leone

Like most nouns in Italian, leone has two articles (definite or indefinite articles) and two numbers (singular or plural).

Examples

Il leone è usato come simbolo di coraggio.
The lion is used as a symbol of courage.

Il leone aprì la sua enorme bocca e ruggì.
The lion opened its huge mouth and roared.

Il leone e la tigre sono due specie diverse di felini.
The lion and the tiger are two different species of cat.

The female lion in Italian is called leonessa, lioness, and it’s a feminine noun.

Le leonesse si avvicinarono alla giraffa.
The lionesses got close to the giraffe.

Una leonessa stava riposando all’ombra.
A lioness was resting in the shade.

The lion cub can be translated into Italian with two different words: leoncino, which makes use of the -ino diminutive suffix meaning small lion, and cucciolo di leone, literally lion cub.

Allo zoo è nato un nuovo leoncino.
A new lion cub was born at the zoo.

Le leonesse si prendono cura dei cuccioli del branco.
Lionesses care for the cubs in the pride.

The life and body of a lion in Italian

The mane, which is a male lion’s most characteristic trait, is called criniera in Italian.

Solo i leoni maschi hanno la criniera.
Only male lions have manes.

Then we have the tail, which is translated as coda.

La coda del leone termina con un piccolo ciuffo scuro di pelo.
The lion’s tail ends in a small dark tuft of fur.

Lions have sharp claws and fangs. Respectively, these are called artigli and zanne in Italian, with artiglio and zanna being the singular forms.

Fangs can also be called fauci, especially when these fangs belong to an animal big enough to eat you up! You will never hear it in the singular.

In their natural habitat, lions move in prides, branchi, from the singular word branco. It is a masculine noun.

Branco is also used to translate the English herd or pack, as in branco di lupi which means pack of wolves.

Related words

A lion in Italian can most commonly ruggire, roar. The noun ruggito, also roar, is derived from this verb.

Il leone ruggisce e la gazzella fugge.
The lion roars and the gazelle flees.

Si dice che il ruggito del leone si senta a chilometri di distanza.
The roar of the lion is said to be heard from miles away.

A lion in Italian can also cacciare prede, meaning to hunt preys.

Di solito sono le leonesse che cacciano, mentre i leoni dormono.
Usually it is the lionesses who hunt while the lions sleep.

When lions eat their preys up, the verb sbranare, to tear to pieces or to chew up, is used. You can also use divorare, to devour.

Il leone divorò la povera zebra.
The lion devoured the poor zebra.

Expressions

Lions are a symbol of courage, so you will often hear the expression avere un coraggio da leone, to have the courage of a lion.

Leone is also the name for the Leo constellation in Italian. Italian star signs take on the name of the animals themselves whenever possible.

Then there are the plants called bocca di leone, the snapdragon, and the dente di leone, the dandelion. These can be literally translated as “lion mouth” and “lion tooth”.

I’ll wrap up this lesson with a very common saying in Italian:

---

More free Italian resources

❤️ If you liked this lesson on the meaning of leone in Italian, share it with your friends!