This list includes 83 Italian words that start with M, from “macchina” to “mutuo”. The entries cover common contemporary vocabulary — everyday nouns, verbs, and adjectives useful for conversation, travel, study, and content creation.
Italian words that start with M are lemmas beginning with the letter M, used across everyday speech and writing. Many derive from Latin roots, and familiar examples like “macchina” reflect Italy’s industrial and cultural vocabulary.
Below you’ll find the table with Word (Italian), English translation, and Example usage.
Word (Italian): The standard Italian lemma as you will find it in dictionaries, useful for searches and learning root forms.
English translation: A concise one-phrase meaning that gives you the immediate sense of the word in English for quick reference.
Example usage: One clear Italian sentence followed by an immediate English gloss so you see how the word functions in context.
Italian words that start with M
| Word | Part of Speech | English translation | Example usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| mangiare | verb | to eat | Mangio una mela ogni mattina. — I eat an apple every morning. |
| mettere | verb | to put/place | Metto i libri sul tavolo. — I put the books on the table. |
| mano | noun | hand | Dammi la mano, per favore. — Give me your hand, please. |
| madre | noun | mother | Mia madre è insegnante. — My mother is a teacher. |
| mondo | noun | world | Il mondo è grande e vario. — The world is large and varied. |
| mese | noun | month | Questo mese piove spesso. — This month it rains often. |
| mattina | noun | morning | La mattina bevo caffè. — In the morning I drink coffee. |
| mare | noun | sea | Andiamo al mare domani. — We go to the sea tomorrow. |
| macchina | noun | car/machine | Ho comprato una macchina nuova. — I bought a new car. |
| mercato | noun | market | Il mercato è vicino alla piazza. — The market is near the square. |
| marito | noun | husband | Suo marito lavora in banca. — Her husband works at a bank. |
| moglie | noun | wife | La sua moglie è medica. — His wife is a doctor. |
| mela | noun | apple | Mangio una mela rossa. — I eat a red apple. |
| miele | noun | honey | Metto miele nel tè. — I put honey in the tea. |
| medico | noun | doctor | Il medico visita i pazienti oggi. — The doctor sees patients today. |
| malattia | noun | illness/disease | Ha una malattia leggera. — He has a mild illness. |
| memoria | noun | memory | Ho una buona memoria. — I have a good memory. |
| migliorare | verb | to improve | La situazione migliora ogni giorno. — The situation improves daily. |
| migliore | adj | better/best | Questo è il mio migliore amico. — This is my best friend. |
| molto | adv | very/much | Mi piace molto questo film. — I like this film very much. |
| meno | adv | less/fewer | Oggi lavoro meno del solito. — Today I work less than usual. |
| minuto | noun | minute | Aspetta un minuto, per favore. — Wait one minute, please. |
| miglio | noun | mile | Ha corso un miglio in sei minuti. — He ran a mile in six minutes. |
| mio | pronoun | my/mine | Questo è il mio libro. — This is my book. |
| mi | pronoun | me/to me | Mi dai il sale? — Can you give me the salt? |
| me | pronoun | me (stressed) | Questo è per me. — This is for me. |
| maggiore | adj | greater/older | Ha un ruolo maggiore nella squadra. — He has a greater role in the team. |
| magnifico | adj | magnificent | Il concerto è stato magnifico. — The concert was magnificent. |
| magro | adj | thin/lean | Il cane è diventato magro. — The dog has become thin. |
| marino | adj | marine/sea | È un ambiente marino protetto. — It’s a protected marine environment. |
| materiale | noun | material | Il materiale è resistente. — The material is durable. |
| massimo | adj | maximum/utmost | Ha raggiunto il massimo livello. — He reached the maximum level. |
| minimo | adj | minimum | Cerca il valore minimo. — Look for the minimum value. |
| musica | noun | music | Ascolto musica italiana spesso. — I often listen to Italian music. |
| museo | noun | museum | Andiamo al museo questa domenica. — We go to the museum this Sunday. |
| motivo | noun | reason/motive | Qual è il motivo del ritardo? — What is the reason for the delay? |
| muovere | verb | to move | Muovi la scatola con attenzione. — Move the box carefully. |
| moderno | adj | modern | Questo edificio è molto moderno. — This building is very modern. |
| moneta | noun | coin/currency | Ho trovato una moneta antica. — I found an ancient coin. |
| morale | noun | morale | Il morale della squadra è alto. — Team morale is high. |
| maglia | noun | jersey/sweater | Indossa la maglia rossa. — He wears the red jersey. |
| matrimonio | noun | marriage/wedding | Il loro matrimonio è la prossima settimana. — Their wedding is next week. |
| marzo | noun | March | Partiamo a marzo. — We leave in March. |
| malato | adj | sick | Sono malato oggi. — I am sick today. |
| magia | noun | magic | La magia del film è evidente. — The magic of the film is evident. |
| mestiere | noun | trade/profession | Il suo mestiere è falegname. — His trade is carpenter. |
| mistero | noun | mystery | Il mistero rimane irrisolto. — The mystery remains unsolved. |
| misura | noun | measure/size | La misura della camicia è grande. — The shirt size is large. |
| mezzo | noun | means/half | Uso il mezzo pubblico ogni giorno. — I use public transport every day. |
| mantenere | verb | to maintain/keep | Mantieni le promesse sempre. — Keep your promises always. |
| mancare | verb | to miss/lack | Mi manca il tempo per studiare. — I lack time to study. |
| mente | noun | mind | Ho mille idee nella mente. — I have a thousand ideas in mind. |
| mentalità | noun | mentality | La mentalità è cambiata con gli anni. — The mentality has changed over the years. |
| mensa | noun | canteen/cafeteria | Pranzi in mensa oggi? — Are you having lunch in the cafeteria today? |
| mensile | adj | monthly | Ricevo una rivista mensile. — I receive a monthly magazine. |
| miracolo | noun | miracle | È stato un vero miracolo. — It was a real miracle. |
| misurare | verb | to measure | Misuro la lunghezza della stanza. — I measure the room length. |
| modello | noun | model/template | Ho un nuovo modello di scarpe. — I have a new shoe model. |
| montagna | noun | mountain | Abbiamo scalato la montagna ieri. — We climbed the mountain yesterday. |
| mostrare | verb | to show | Mostrami la foto, per favore. — Show me the photo, please. |
| muro | noun | wall | Il gatto ha saltato il muro. — The cat jumped over the wall. |
| mutuo | noun | loan/mortgage | Hanno un mutuo per la casa. — They have a mortgage for the house. |
| morbido | adj | soft | Il cuscino è morbido. — The pillow is soft. |
| mosca | noun | fly (insect) | C’è una mosca in cucina. — There’s a fly in the kitchen. |
| marcio | adj | rotten | La frutta è marcia. — The fruit is rotten. |
| massa | noun | mass/heap | Una grande massa di persone ha applaudito. — A large mass of people applauded. |
| mucchio | noun | pile/heap | C’è un mucchio di libri sul tavolo. — There’s a pile of books on the table. |
| mucca | noun | cow | La mucca mangia l’erba. — The cow eats the grass. |
| mutare | verb | to change/mutate | Il tempo muta rapidamente. — The weather changes quickly. |
| maschio | noun | male | Il cane maschio è più grande. — The male dog is bigger. |
| mezzogiorno | noun | noon | Mangiamo a mezzogiorno. — We eat at noon. |
| magari | adv | maybe/if only | Magari potessi venire. — If only I could come. |
| malgrado | preposition | despite | Ha guidato malgrado la pioggia. — He drove despite the rain. |
| mah | interjection | meh/doubt | Mah, non lo so. — Meh, I don’t know. |
| movimento | noun | movement | Il movimento ha protestato in piazza. — The movement protested in the square. |
| metà | noun | half | Ho mangiato metà della torta. — I ate half of the cake. |
| minuscolo | adj | tiny | Il carattere è minuscolo. — The font is tiny. |
| moderato | adj | moderate | Il volume è moderato. — The volume is moderate. |
| modulo | noun | form/module | Compila il modulo online. — Fill out the form online. |
| ministero | noun | ministry | Il ministero ha pubblicato le linee guida. — The ministry published guidelines. |
| mostro | noun | monster | Il bambino ha paura del mostro. — The child is afraid of the monster. |
| magazzino | noun | warehouse | Il pacco è nello magazzino. — The package is in the warehouse. |
| maggio | noun | May | Parto a maggio. — I leave in May. |
Descriptions
mangiare
common; basic verb for eating. Transitive/intransitive. Forms: mangio, mangiato.
mettere
common; very frequent verb. Past participle messo; many idioms.
mano
common; irregular plural mani; used in many expressions.
madre
common; feminine noun. Plural: madri.
mondo
common; literal and figurative uses. Plural: mondi.
mese
common; time unit. Plural: mesi.
mattina
common; time of day. Plural: mattine.
mare
common; coastal contexts. Plural: mari.
macchina
common; also means machine. Plural: macchine.
mercato
common; can be food market or market economy.
marito
common; plural mariti.
moglie
common; plural mogli.
mela
common; fruit. Plural: mele.
miele
common; food item.
medico
common; also adjective ‘medicale’ exists.
malattia
common; medical term. Plural: malattie.
memoria
common; cognitive and storage senses.
migliorare
common; verb; related to migliore (adj).
migliore
common; comparative/superlative use.
molto
common; also used before nouns as adjective.
meno
common; used in comparisons and subtraction.
minuto
common; time unit. Plural: minuti.
miglio
common; distance unit. Plural: miglia.
mio
common; possessive adjective/pronoun. Forms: mia, miei, mie.
mi
common; clitic pronoun, used before verbs.
me
common; tonic pronoun used after prepositions.
maggiore
common; comparative of grande in many contexts.
magnifico
common; positive evaluative adjective.
magro
common; opposite of grasso.
marino
common; sea-related adjective.
materiale
common; also an adjective in some contexts.
massimo
common; also used as noun (‘il massimo’).
minimo
common; opposed to massimo.
musica
common; usually uncountable.
museo
common; cultural institution.
motivo
common; reason or motif.
muovere
common; past participle mosso.
moderno
common; contemporary style.
moneta
common; coin or money.
morale
common; also adjective meaning moral.
maglia
common; clothing or sports shirt.
matrimonio
common; ceremony or state.
marzo
common; month name (not a proper noun in Italian orthography).
malato
common; also used as noun ‘il malato’.
magia
common; literary and figurative uses.
mestiere
common; informal for profession.
mistero
common; narrative or investigative contexts.
misura
common; size, measure, moderation.
mezzo
common; also ‘half’ or ‘vehicle’.
mantenere
common; participle mantenuto; formal uses.
mancare
common; uses impersonal constructions.
mente
common; also suffix ‘-mente’ forms adverbs.
mentalità
common; collective mindset.
mensa
common; schools and workplaces.
mensile
common; monthly frequency.
miracolo
common; religious and emphatic uses.
misurare
common; related noun misura.
modello
common; pattern or person.
montagna
common; geography/outdoor contexts.
mostrare
common; regular transitive verb.
muro
common; architecture and barriers.
mutuo
common; finance term.
morbido
common; tactile quality.
mosca
common; insect.
marcio
common; food spoilage.
massa
common; physics/social senses.
mucchio
common; informal.
mucca
common; farm animal.
mutare
uncommon; literary, more formal than cambiare.
maschio
common; biological gender term.
mezzogiorno
common; midday time.
magari
common; expresses wish or possibility.
malgrado
uncommon/formal; alternative to nonostante.
mah
common; expresses doubt or skepticism.
movimento
common; political or physical motion.
metà
common; used with fractions and expressions.
minuscolo
common; very small.
moderato
common; measured degree.
modulo
common; paperwork or form.
ministero
common/formal; government office.
mostro
common; fictional creature.
magazzino
common; storage facility.
maggio
common; month name (lowercase in Italian).