Page 14 - Italian American Herald - July 2020

14 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | JULY2020 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN&SIMPLE
Italy is one of the most iconic and popular destinations in all of Western Europe. Up until the coronavirus pandemic, the Mediterranean country boasted an impressive standard of living and quality of life for the majority of its population. It also had a high average life
expectancy, reaching 79.6 years for men and 85.1 years for women. These achievements were the result of successful welfare measures and well-established health policies.
It’s probably too soon to know when things will return to normal and travel to Italy will be safe. Many of our readers are probably anxious to visit relatives and friends after the devastation that Italy underwent during the height of the current coronavirus outbreak. Other may have been planning a vacation there that had to be postponed. Whatever the circumstances, it came to mind that a lesson or two on medicine and doctors in Italy might be appropriate at this time.
Today’s lesson will teach you some useful terms and sentences that can be useful if and when in Italy you might need to talk to a doctor, to make him understand how you feel, what pain you have and what services you might need.
General Words and Terms
Health salute
Doctor (medical) medico/medici
General practitioner (GP) medico generic
Family doctor medico di famiglia
Specialist specialista
Private surgery studio medico Homoeopathy omeopatia
Hospital ospedale
Health center poliambulatorio
First aid, emergency pronto soccorso
or casualty department / A&E / ER
National Health Service Servizio Sanitario Nazionale Health card tessera sanitaria
Medical charge ticket per prestazioni mediche Prescription ricetta
A visit to the doctor visita ambulatoriale
AIDS AIDS
I’m in pain. Ho dolori.
I have a headache. Ho mal di testa.
I have a stomach ache. Ho mal di stomaco.
I have a sore throat. Ho mal di gola.
I have sore ears. Ho mal d’orecchie.
I have a tooth ache. Ho mal di denti.
I’m sick. Sono malato/a.
I’m feeling sick. Ho la nausea.
General Problems
Cancer Cancro
Diabetes Diabete
Allergies Allergie
Bone fractures Fratture Ossee
Osteoarthritis Osteoartrite
Rheumatism Reumatismi
Osteoporosis Osteoporosis
Arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosi
Whiplash Colpo Di Frusta
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) Sindrome Del Tunnel Carpale Muscular tear Strappo Muscolare Inflammation Infiammazione
Migraine Emicrania
Glaucoma Glaucoma
Influenza Influenza “Flu”
(To describe “feeling unwell”) Indisposizione, Malessere Pain Dolore
Ache Male Itching Prurito Vertigo Vertigini
In the next issue we feature part 2 of this medical-themed lesson.
This month’s falso amico
This month’s falso amico is the Italian word tampone, which is a word that in the last several months has been all over the Italian newspapers and broadcast media. While it has the same meaning as the word related to the feminine hygiene product, tampon, in Italian it is the word also used to define the coronavirus swab test.
This month’s Italian proverb
Italiano: Chi ha la salute è ricco e no lo sa.
English: He who has health is wealthy and doesn’t know it. In other words, health is wealth.
Surnames and Their Origins
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.
In this issue we begin with Italian surnames starting with the letter “O.”
OCCHIONERO – This surname consists of two Italian words: “occhio,” meaning
eye and “nero,” meaning dark eye color. It
is not a very common surname, but does appear present in 17 of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Molise. It is not present in Val D’Aosta, Calabria, or Sicily. Variations: OCCHINERO, OCCHINEGRO.
ODDI – This surname derives from the first name Oddo, Otto and Odo, all of German origin. It is present in 18 regions mostly registered in Lazio, It is not present in Molise and Calabria. Variations: ODDA, ODDONO, ODONE.
ODOARDI – This surname derives from the German first name Edoardo, meaning guardian of the property. The ancestors of the present day Odiardi families were probably involved in the business of private security. It is not very prevalent, having a presence only in 10 regions. It is most registered in Abruzzo and least in Tuscany. Variations: ODOARDO.
ODORISIO – This surname is also from a first name Odorico of German origin, meaning rich, noble. Like Odiardi, this name is not very prevalent. The ancestors of the present-day Odorisio families were probably wealthy and possibly of nobility. The surname is not very prevalent either.
It is present in only 11 regions. It is most prevalent in Abruzzo. Variations: ODORICO, ODERICO.
OLIVIERI – This surname derives from the first name Oliviero. There is no question
that this surname is connected to ancestors in the olive business. It is very common and present in all 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Lazio and least found in Val D’Aosta.
ORIENTE – This surname derives from the word “oriente,” meaning east, orient.
It probably indicates the place of origin of
the present-day families with this surname.
It would seem that there are not too many families whose origins are from the east or orient since even though it is present in 14 regions, it is sparsely found in those regions. Molise is where the largest number of families with this surname reside.
ORLANDI – This surname is derived from the first name Orlando, which is in turn is derived from the old name Rolando, made famous by Italy’s commedia dell’arte character Orlando Furioso. This is a very popular Italian surname. It is registered with vital statistics in all 20 regions. It is most common in Lombardia and least present in Molise and Val d’Aosta.
ORTONA – This surname derives from the name of the town of Ortona in Abruzzo. It indicated someone coming from there and handed down to modern families who may no longer be residing there, but had ancestors who did. In any event it is not a very common surname having a small presence in only nine of Italy’s regions.
Next month we continue to look at Italian surnames that begin with the letter “O” and start the surnames that begin with the letter “N.” IAH