affilare

Affilare is an Italian verb meaning to sharpen or whet the edge of a blade or tool. It can also be used figuratively to sharpen senses, skills, or wit. The verb is regular and belongs to the first conjugation (-are). Present indicative forms: io affilo, tu affili, lui/lei affila, noi affiliamo, voi affilate, loro affilano. Imperfect: affilavo, affilavi, affilava, affilavamo, affilavate, affilavano. Future: affilerò, affilerai, affilerà, affileremo, affilerete, affileranno. Present subjunctive: io affili, tu affili, lui/lei affili, noi affiliamo, voi affiliate, loro affilino. Imperative: affila (tu), affila Lei, affiliamo, affilate, affilino.

The past participle is affilato, used with avere in transitive clauses (Ho affilato il coltello) or with essere in passive constructions (Il coltello è affilato). Common nouns include l’affilatura (the sharpening process), l’affilatore or l’affilatore di lame (a sharpener), and l’affilacoltelli (knife sharpener). Materials and tools used for sharpening include la pietra per affilare, la lima, or la lama da affilare.

Metaphorically, affilare the mind or the senses means to sharpen one’s faculties, as in affilare l’ingegno. The verb should not be confused with affiliare, meaning to affiliate or join a group.