Overabundant nouns have two plural forms, with different meanings and sometimes have the same meaning.
Some masculine nouns in -o have two plurals: a masculine plural in -i and a feminine plural in -a here are some examples:
Il braccio (The arm).
- Masculine plural: I bracci (of the crane, of a chandelier, of a cross, of an armchair).
- Feminine plural: Le braccia (of the human body).
Il budello (The gut).
- Masculine plural: I budelli (narrow and winding streets).
- Feminine plural: Le budella (intestines).
Il calcagno (The heel).
- Masculine plural: I calcagni (of the feet)
- Feminine plural: Le calcagna [in the expression (avere qualcuno alle calcagna)to have someone on your tail]
Il cervello (The brain).
- Masculine plural: I cervelli (the minds).
- Feminine plural: Le cervella (brain matter).
Il ciglio (The edge/eyelash).
- Masculine plural: I cigli (of a ditch, of a road).
- Feminine plural: Le ciglia (of the eyes).
Il corno (The horn).
- Masculine plural: I corni (musical instrument).
- Feminine plural: Le corna (of animals).
Il dito (The finger).
- Masculine plural: I diti (considered distinctly from each other, e.g. thumbs fingers).
- Feminine plural: Le dita (considered as a whole).
Il filo (The thread).
- Masculine plural: I fili (of the grass, of the light).
- Feminine plural: Le fila (of the plot, of a conspiracy).
Il fondamento (The foundation).
- Masculine plural: I fondamenti (of a science).
- Feminine plural: Le fondamenta (of a building).
Il fuso (The spindle).
- Masculine plural: I fusi [spools for spinning; in a geographical sense: I fusi orari (time zones)].
- Feminine plural: Le fusa [(in sentences like: (il gatto fa le fuse) the cat purrs].
Il gesto (The gesture).
- Masculine plural: I gesti (movements).
- Feminine plural: Le gesta (businesses).
Il ginocchio (The knee).
- Masculine plural: I ginocchi (of the human body).
- Feminine plural: Le ginochia (same meaning).
Il grido/ L’urlo/ Lo strido (The scream).
- Masculine plural: I gridi/ Gli urli/ Gli stridi (of animals).
- Feminine plural: Le grida / Le urla/ Le strida (of man).
Il labbro (The lip).
- Masculine plural: I labbri (of a wound, of a vase).
- Feminine plural: Le labbra (of the mouth).
Il lenzuolo (The sheet).
- Masculine plural: I lenzuoli (taken one by one and in a general sense).
- Feminine plural: Le lenzuola (considered in pairs, i.e. those of the bed).
Il membro (The member).
- Masculine plural: I membri (of the family, of an association).
- Feminine plural: Le membra (of the human body, as a whole).
Il muro (The wall).
- Masculine plural: I muri (of a house).
- Feminine plural: Le mura (of a city).
L’osso (The bone).
- Masculine plural: Gli ossi (of animals).
- Feminine plural: Le ossa (of man or the skeleton as a whole).
L’orecchio (The ear).
- Masculine plural: Gli orecchi (of the human body).
- Feminine plural: Le ginochie (same meaning).
Il sopracciglio (the eyebrow).
- Masculine plural: I sopraccigli (of the head).
- Feminine plural: Le sopracciglia (Same meaning).
Il frutto/ La frutta (The fruit).
Il frutto is the product of the earth, which plants can produce.
Mangia questo frutto, è una banana(eat this fruit, it’s a banana).
Even in a figurative sense: frutto delle nostre fatiche (fruit of our labors).
Masculine plural: I frutti.
La Frutta is the set of edible fruits of various plants.
Mangia la frutta, perché ti fa bene (eat fruit, because it’s good for you).
Feminine Plural: Le frutta (literary only).
Exercises on the lesson here
Next lesson:
Il plurale dei nomi di origine straniera / The plural of names of foreign origin.