Meaning
bolt, latch
- a sliding metal bar used to fasten a door or gate
- a highly defensive tactical system in Italian football
In a sentence
Chiudi bene la porta d'ingresso con il catenaccio prima di andare a dormire.
Fasten the front door securely with the bolt before going to sleep.
Il vecchio catenaccio del portone si è arrugginito con il tempo.
The old door bolt has rusted over time.
La squadra ha fatto catenaccio per difendere il vantaggio fino alla fine.
The team played purely defensively to protect their lead until the end.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| catenaccio | masculine · singular |
| catenacci | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Originally a pejorative/augmentative of 'catena', now a standard noun in its own right.
- In football, 'fare il catenaccio' means to play ultra-defensively.