migliaia

Migliaia is a feminine plural noun in the Italian language that denotes a large, indefinite quantity of thousands. It is commonly used to quantify people, objects, or events, especially in contexts where the exact number is not specified or is intentionally vast, as in migliaia di persone or migliaia di fogli.

Etymology and usage notes: Migliaia derives from the numerical base mille (one thousand) and is often used as a more formal or emphatic alternative to mila, both translating to “thousands.” While mila/discribed as a more everyday way to express large counts, migliaia tends to appear in journalism, literature, or formal writing to stress the scale of a crowd or collection. The expression is frequently paired with di followed by the counted noun (e.g., migliaia di persone, migliaia di copie).

Grammatical characteristics: Migliaia is a feminine plural noun. It is used with a qualifying element introduced by di, and adjectives or other modifiers agree with the noun in gender and number. In phrases indicating a large crowd or stock, migliaia conveys a sense of a substantial, approximate quantity rather than a precise tally. Example constructions include migliaia di manifestanti partecipanti or migliaia di esemplari stampati.

See also: In Italian, both migliaia and mila are used to express large numbers of thousands, with migliaia typically offering a more formal or emphatic nuance. The singular form mille denotes exactly one thousand, while mila is used for counting thousands in everyday language.