pentito

/ penˈtiːto /

noun

1. -ti-tɪ a person involved in organized crime who offers information to the police in return for immunity from prosecution

Word History and Origins

Origin of pentito¹

literally: penitent

Example Sentences

The word “pentito,” in Italian, means “repented,” and has almost a religious connotation.

From Slate

The latest pentito to tell a story about Caravaggio’s Nativity is Gaetano Grado.

From The Guardian

The problem with pentito evidence is how to tell the truth from self-serving lies.

From The Guardian

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

The Nativity’s strange afterlife as a criminal conversation piece began when one of Italy’s bravest prosecutors, Giovanni Falcone, sat face to face with a pentito, a member of Cosa Nostra who decided to turn against the organisation.

From The Guardian