Meaning
lamp, light
- lamp, small light
- eyesight, sight
- reason, wits (in idioms)
- luminary, notable person
In a sentence
Ho acceso il lume sul comodino ieri sera.
I turned on the light on the nightstand last night.
Vedi quel lume in cielo stanotte?
Do you see that light in the sky tonight?
Abbiamo cenato a lume di candela sulla terrazza.
We had dinner by candlelight on the terrace.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| lume | masculine · singular |
| lumi | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Mostly literary or elevated. In everyday speech, use luce for light and lampadina/faretto for electric lights.
- For famous experts, luminary is figurative and formal: un lume della scienza sounds old-fashioned; a leading figure is usually luminare.
- Common in fixed expressions like alla luce del sole; bare lume often feels poetic outside set phrases.