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mez·za·lu·na

(mĕt′sə-lnə)

A curved steel blade, often with a vertical handle at each end, used to chop food.

[Italian, crescent, mezzaluna : mezza, feminine of mezzo, half (from Latin medius; see medhyo- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + luna, moon (from Latin lūna; see leuk- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]

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mezzaluna

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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