Meaning
poison
In a sentence
Quel fungo contiene un veleno molto forte.
That mushroom contains a very strong poison.
Hai messo il veleno per i topi in garage?
Did you put the rat poison in the garage?
No, il cane non ha toccato il veleno.
No, the dog didn't touch the poison.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| veleno | masculine · singular |
| veleni | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use veleno for literal poison and also figurative bitterness or malice; in figurative contexts, tossico is often less idiomatic.
- Common with verbs like ingerire, avvelenare, secernere, contenere. You usually say veleno di serpente, not a direct adjective form.
- In speech, sputare veleno means speaking with spite. Don't translate English 'venom' mechanically; Italian often still uses veleno.