4 ms·

I expected that to be a euphemism for a railroad but it means ladders and cables for climbing.

dkdbejwi383 3y ago
The literal translation from Italian is something like "iron way". Compare with the Italian word for a railway, which is "ferroviario"
- hk__2 3y ago
  > Compare with the Italian word for a railway, which is "ferroviario" No, it’s "ferrovia" and it’s in the wrong order because it’s based on English: rail+way -> ferro+via.
  - dkdbejwi383 3y ago
    https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trasporto_ferroviario https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trasporto_ferroviario
    - myrmidon 3y ago
      No; ferroviario is an adjective, like "rail" in "rail transport". But it is ONLY an adjective, you can not use it as a noun (you would use "ferrovia" for railroad track, instead).
      - hk__2 3y ago
        The case of French is curious, because "ferroviario" (adjective) is "ferroviaire", but the noun is "voie ferrée" and not something like *ferrovoie.
gpderetta 3y ago
"strada ferrata" (iron road) is literally railroad in Italian, while "via ferrata" (iron way) are the ladders and cables for climbing.
- Georgelemental 3y ago
  In French, railroad is "voie ferrée" ("iron way") or "chemin de fer" ("path of iron").
- g-b-r 3y ago
  No, "strada ferrata" is literally not an Italian expression. Railroads are called ferrovie.
  - gpderetta 3y ago
    https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/strada_ferrata#Italian https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/strada_ferrata#Italian Eg. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societ%C3%A0_per_le_strade_ferrate_dell%27Alta_Italia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societ%C3%A0_per_le_strade_f... It is admittedly a bit of an obsolete term compared to "ferrovia", but it is sometimes still used in more formal register.
    - g-b-r 3y ago
      Ow I guarantee you that it's NOT used in more formal registers, now that you showed me that Wikipedia article maybe I already read the term on some history book, but no, it's never used now. Looking it up a little it appeared to have been used initially, but it was probably already obsolete by the end of the nineteenth century. Thank you for making me learn something anyhow xD
      - gpderetta 3y ago
        FWIW, I'm Italian and have grown up in Italy and I have certainly seen it used.
        g-b-r 3y ago
        Davvero? Super weird, I absolutely never. Maybe it's a regional thing?
deleted 3y ago
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The literal translation from Italian is something like "iron way". Compare with the Italian word for a railway, which is "ferroviario"

hk__2 3y ago
> Compare with the Italian word for a railway, which is "ferroviario" No, it’s "ferrovia" and it’s in the wrong order because it’s based on English: rail+way -> ferro+via.
- dkdbejwi383 3y ago
  https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trasporto_ferroviario https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trasporto_ferroviario
  - myrmidon 3y ago
    No; ferroviario is an adjective, like "rail" in "rail transport". But it is ONLY an adjective, you can not use it as a noun (you would use "ferrovia" for railroad track, instead).
    - hk__2 3y ago
      The case of French is curious, because "ferroviario" (adjective) is "ferroviaire", but the noun is "voie ferrée" and not something like *ferrovoie.

gpderetta 3y ago

"strada ferrata" (iron road) is literally railroad in Italian, while "via ferrata" (iron way) are the ladders and cables for climbing.

Georgelemental 3y ago
In French, railroad is "voie ferrée" ("iron way") or "chemin de fer" ("path of iron").
g-b-r 3y ago
No, "strada ferrata" is literally not an Italian expression. Railroads are called ferrovie.
- gpderetta 3y ago
  https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/strada_ferrata#Italian https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/strada_ferrata#Italian Eg. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societ%C3%A0_per_le_strade_ferrate_dell%27Alta_Italia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societ%C3%A0_per_le_strade_f... It is admittedly a bit of an obsolete term compared to "ferrovia", but it is sometimes still used in more formal register.
  - g-b-r 3y ago
    Ow I guarantee you that it's NOT used in more formal registers, now that you showed me that Wikipedia article maybe I already read the term on some history book, but no, it's never used now. Looking it up a little it appeared to have been used initially, but it was probably already obsolete by the end of the nineteenth century. Thank you for making me learn something anyhow xD
    - gpderetta 3y ago
      FWIW, I'm Italian and have grown up in Italy and I have certainly seen it used.
      - g-b-r 3y ago
        Davvero? Super weird, I absolutely never. Maybe it's a regional thing?

deleted 3y ago

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