pentito
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of pentito
literally: penitent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Another pentito, Gaspare Spatuzza, claimed a Cosa Nostra boss had told him that Caravaggio’s Nativity had been stashed in a barn where it was “ruined, eaten by rats and hogs and burned”.
From The Guardian • Dec. 16, 2018
The latest pentito to tell a story about Caravaggio’s Nativity is Gaetano Grado.
From The Guardian • Dec. 16, 2018
The problem with pentito evidence is how to tell the truth from self-serving lies.
From The Guardian • Dec. 16, 2018
“You don’t just believe a pentito who shoots his mouth off,” warns Hill.
From The Guardian • Dec. 16, 2018
In Italian mafia parlance, there are two different concepts – of a penitente, and of a pentito – the former begs forgiveness, the latter squeals on his former comrades in exchange for leniency in sentencing.
From The Guardian • Feb. 17, 2013
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.