This is the 1368th most frequent Portuguese word.
italiano
"Italiano" means "Italian" in English.
In this sentence, 'italiano' is used as an adjective to describe the nationality of the professor.
O professor italiano chegou mais cedo hoje.
The Italian professor arrived earlier today.
Here, 'italiano' refers to the Italian language being studied.
Ela começou a estudar italiano na universidade.
She started studying Italian at the university.
In this context, 'italiano' functions as a noun referring to the Italian language.