calzava

Calzava is the imperfect indicative form of the Italian verb calzare, meaning to put on shoes or to wear footwear. As the third-person singular form, calzava is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, so it translates to “he/she/it was wearing” or “he/she/it used to wear.”

Etymology and related forms: The verb calzare derives from the root calz-, which is connected to calz- in words for footwear, and ultimately traces back to Latin calceus, meaning shoe. Related Romance-language cognates include Spanish calzar and French chausser. The imperfect calzava shares this origin and is part of standard conjugation patterns for -are verbs in Italian. In modern usage, calzava appears mainly in literary or historical contexts; in everyday speech, speakers often use simpler constructions to describe past wearing of shoes.

Usage and examples: Calzava is commonly found in narrative prose and historical writing to depict actions in the past. Examples include: “Durante l’inverno calzava stivali di pelle” (During the winter he wore leather boots) and “Da ragazzo, calzava spesso sandali per passeggiate estive.” The phrase calzare a pennello is an idiomatic expression meaning “to fit perfectly,” and forms like calzava a pennello can appear in stylistic contexts to describe how something suited someone at the time.