Meaning
stead, place
- stead, place (in 'fare le veci di', 'in vece di')
- (literary) change
- (literary) vicissitude
In a sentence
Il vicepresidente fa le veci del presidente in sua assenza.
The vice president acts in place of the president in his absence.
Che vece strana hai avuto oggi al lavoro?
What a strange change did you have at work today?
Non voglio altre veci nella mia giornata.
I don't want any more changes in my day.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| vece | feminine · singular |
| veci | feminine · plural |
Usage notes
- Mostly survives in fixed expressions, especially in formal or literary Italian; alone as a noun is uncommon in everyday speech.
- Do not confuse noun vece with adverb/preposition invece ('instead') or phrase in vece di ('in place of').
- For ordinary 'change,' Italians usually prefer cambiamento, modifica, or variazione; vece sounds archaic outside set phrases.