la mente
mind
Definition & meaning
- Mind: the part of a person associated with thinking, understanding, memory, and imagination.
- Mind or mastermind: a person considered as the originator of an idea or plan.
- Lies: a form of mentire , meaning “he,” “she,” or “it lies,” or formal “you lie.”
Grammar & Word origin
As a noun, mente is feminine: la mente; its plural is menti. It comes from Latin mens, meaning “mind.”
As a verb, mente is the third-person singular present indicative of mentire .
Italian also uses -mente as an adverb-forming suffix, roughly equivalent to English “-ly.” This suffix has the same Latin origin as the noun.
Synonyms & antonyms
- intelletto — “intellect”; emphasizes the ability to reason rather than the mind as a whole.
- cervello — “brain”; refers literally to the organ, but can also mean “mind” figuratively.
- psiche — “psyche”; emphasizes a person’s psychological and emotional life.
There is no direct antonym that covers all senses of “mind.”
Common phrases & collocations
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Examples
La mente curiosa fa molte domande.noun
The curious mind asks many questions.
Le menti aperte imparano velocemente.noun
Open minds learn quickly.
Ho agito con la mente rivolta al futuro.noun
I acted with my mind focused on the future.
La mente stanca ha bisogno di riposo.noun
The tired mind needs rest.
La mente si calma con musica dolce.noun
The mind calms down with sweet music.
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