Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 59 minutes ago
Italian influence on English goes far beyond pizza, pasta, and espresso.
In this episode of the Mondly Podcast, we explore the surprising Italian roots behind everyday English words — including jeans, bankruptcy, quarantine, management, and even voltage.
By tracing these words through history, we uncover a fascinating map of influence that reveals how Italy shaped global culture during the Renaissance and beyond. From banking and textiles to science and music, many of the words we use every day are echoes of centuries of Italian innovation.
In this deep dive, you’ll discover:
• Why the word “bankrupt” literally means “broken bench”
• How Genoa gave us the word “jeans”
• The medieval story behind “quarantine”
• Why scientists named voltage and galvanize after Italian pioneers
• How music, science, and finance helped Italian words travel across Europe
Once you start paying attention, you’ll notice Italian everywhere in English.
🎧 Listen now and discover the hidden Italian influence behind the words you use every day.
👉 If you prefer the written version of this lesson, you can check out our original article on the Mondly blog: mondly.com/blog/influence-of-italian-on-english
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 — Intro: Italian influence beyond food
02:05 — The story behind “quarantine”
03:20 — From the plague to the word “novel”
04:30 — Banking words: bank & bankruptcy
06:10 — The surprising origin of “management”
07:10 — Why jeans are actually Italian
09:30 — Italian scientists: galvanize & voltage
11:00 — Graffiti and propaganda explained
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Follow us:
F A C E B O O K ➜ facebook.com/mondlylanguages
I N S T A G R A M ➜ instagram.com/mondlylanguages
T W I T T E R ➜ twitter.com/mondlylanguages
T I K T O K ➜ tiktok.com/@mondly.app
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The Mondy app is available on:
• Google Play ►► mond.ly/google-play
• App Store ►► mond.ly/app-store
• Web ►► mond.ly/web
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Italian influence on English goes far beyond pizza, pasta, and espresso.
In this episode of the Mondly Podcast, we explore the surprising Italian roots behind everyday English words — including jeans, bankruptcy, quarantine, management, and even voltage.
By tracing these words through history, we uncover a fascinating map of influence that reveals how Italy shaped global culture during the Renaissance and beyond. From banking and textiles to science and music, many of the words we use every day are echoes of centuries of Italian innovation.
In this deep dive, you’ll discover:
• Why the word “bankrupt” literally means “broken bench”
• How Genoa gave us the word “jeans”
• The medieval story behind “quarantine”
• Why scientists named voltage and galvanize after Italian pioneers
• How music, science, and finance helped Italian words travel across Europe
Once you start paying attention, you’ll notice Italian everywhere in English.
🎧 Listen now and discover the hidden Italian influence behind the words you use every day.
👉 If you prefer the written version of this lesson, you can check out our original article on the Mondly blog: mondly.com/blog/influence-of-italian-on-english
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 — Intro: Italian influence beyond food
02:05 — The story behind “quarantine”
03:20 — From the plague to the word “novel”
04:30 — Banking words: bank & bankruptcy
06:10 — The surprising origin of “management”
07:10 — Why jeans are actually Italian
09:30 — Italian scientists: galvanize & voltage
11:00 — Graffiti and propaganda explained
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Follow us:
F A C E B O O K ➜ facebook.com/mondlylanguages
I N S T A G R A M ➜ instagram.com/mondlylanguages
T W I T T E R ➜ twitter.com/mondlylanguages
T I K T O K ➜ tiktok.com/@mondly.app
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Mondy app is available on:
• Google Play ►► mond.ly/google-play
• App Store ►► mond.ly/app-store
• Web ►► mond.ly/web
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
