mentale

Mentale is an Italian adjective meaning related to the mind or to mental processes. It derives from Latin mentālis, from mens (mind), via the suffix -alis, and has long been used in Italian to describe cognitive, psychological, or neurological aspects.

Usage and examples include phrases such as salute mentale (mental health), processi mentali (mental processes), stato mentale (mental state), età mentale (mental age), and funzioni mentali (mental functions). The plural form is mentali, as in stati mentali or processi mentali. In the singular, the form mentale is used for both masculine and feminine nouns, which is typical for Italian adjectives ending in -ale.

Mentale is commonly employed across scientific, educational, and everyday contexts to distinguish cognitive or psychological qualities from physical or somatic ones. It frequently appears in disciplines such as psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and linguistics, but also in general discourse when discussing mood, reasoning, memory, or perception.

Related terms and concepts include cognitive science, psicologia (psychology), cognizione (cognition), and salute mentale (mental health). While English uses mental as the direct cognate, Italian preserves mentale as the standard descriptor for mind-related attributes. The term is neutral and descriptive, with no inherent value judgment, and is used across formal and informal registers.