crasso

Crasso is a term that appears in several Romance languages as an adjective and, less commonly, as a proper name. In Italian and Portuguese, crasso primarily means thick, dense, or coarse, and it can describe physical objects as well as abstract qualities such as a thick fog or a dense argument. In Italian, the masculine singular form is crasso, the feminine crassa; plural forms are crassi and crasse. In Portuguese, the forms include crasso and crassa for singular, and crassos or crassas for plural. The word derives from Latin crassus, meaning thick or fat, and shares cognates across Romance languages.

Usage and examples across languages reflect its core sense of thickness or density. Italian examples include phrases such as libro crasso (a thick book) or nebbia crassa (dense fog). In Portuguese contexts, crasso likewise describes substantial mass or density. As a lexeme, crasso is generally treated as an ordinary descriptive adjective rather than a specialized technical term.

As a proper noun, Crasso occurs as a surname in Italian-speaking regions and in diaspora communities. It is relatively uncommon and should not be confused with Crassus, the Latin family name borne by the Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus. The Italianized form Crasso can appear in historical records and contemporary names without signifying a specific famous individual.

See also: Crassus, crasso- (etymology and related roots in Latin), and the broader family of cognate terms in Romance languages.