different between turncoat vs pentito

English

Etymology

A compound of turn +? coat, reportedly derived from the sometime military practice of wearing uniform coats that were lined in material of a contrasting color, and which could be worn inside out to present a different appearance.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?t??n.k??t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?t?n.ko?t/

Noun

turncoat (plural turncoats)

1. A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.

   Synonyms: apostate, defector, renegade

   • 1711, Jonathan Swift, An Excellent New Song

     But some will cry Turncoat, and rip up old stories, / How I always pretended to be for the tories:

Alternative forms

• turn-coat
• turn coat

Translations

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian pentito (“repentant”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p?n?ti?t??/

Noun

pentito (plural pentiti)

1. A criminal who cooperates with police or government authorities and testifies against or provides harmful information on fellow criminals; a turncoat or informant, usually a former Mafioso. [from 20th c.]
   • 2007, Virginia Jewiss, translating Roberto Saviano, Gomorrah, Pan 2017, p. 50:

     According to a pentito in the 2004 DDA investigation, 50 percent of the shops in Naples alone are actually run by the Camorra.

Further reading

• pentito on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• in petto, neti pot

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pen?ti.to/
• Rhymes: -ito

Verb

pentito m (feminine singular pentita, masculine plural pentiti, feminine plural pentite)

1. past participle of pentirsi

Noun

pentito m (plural pentiti)

1. One who repents.
2. (crime) A criminal who cooperates with police or government authorities and testifies against or provides harmful information on fellow criminals; a turncoat or informant. Used mostly in reference to ex-Mafiosi.

Anagrams

• pettino, pettinò, potenti

Spanish

Noun

pentito m (plural pentitos)

1. pentito