Meaning
flash
- flash, lightning
- zipper (invar. fem.)
In a sentence
Ho visto un lampo prima del temporale.
I saw a flash before the storm.
Hai chiuso bene la lampo della giacca?
Did you close the zipper on your jacket well?
Non ho visto il lampo, ho solo sentito il tuono.
I didn't see the flash of lightning, I only heard the thunder.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| lampo | masculine · singular |
| lampi | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- For weather, lampo is one flash; fulmine is the lightning bolt itself. In speech, people often say lampi e tuoni together.
- For clothing, lampo is common in everyday Italian, but cerniera is more neutral and widely understood in careful or formal contexts.
- In fixed expressions, lampo often means speed or suddenness: a colpo di fulmine is love at first sight, not a literal lightning strike.