mordere

Mordere is an Italian verb meaning to bite. It refers to the action of using teeth to grip and cut into something, such as food or objects, and it also appears in figurative expressions involving biting, such as biting one's lip or biting at someone’s words.

Etymology and related forms. Mordere derives from Latin mordere and is cognate with other Romance languages’ equivalents, such as Spanish morder and French mordre. The word belongs to the core set of Italian -ere verbs, sharing a common pattern for many tenses with the stem mord- and the typical endings of -o, -i, -e, -iamo, -ete, -ono in the present indicative.

Conjugation overview. In the present indicative, mordere forms as io mondo? No: correct forms are io mordo, tu mordi, lui/lei morde, noi mordiamo, voi mordete, loro mordono. The past participle is morso, used with avere to form compound tenses (ho morso, hai morso, ha morso, abbiamo morso, avete morso, hanno morso). The present participle is mordendo. The verb is transitive and can take a direct object, as in “Il cane morde la palla” (The dog bites the ball).

Usage notes. Mordere covers physical biting by people or animals, biting into food, and various figurative meanings in everyday language. It appears in common expressions and in descriptions of injuries, for example “un morso” (a bite) or “una ferita da morso” (a bite wound). The noun morso is regularly used to denote the result of biting, while the adjective form related to the action is typically conveyed through participles or phrases rather than a standalone adjective.

See also. Its cognates in other Romance languages reflect a shared basic meaning of biting and related metaphors.