"Belladonna, n.: In Italian a beautiful lady; in English a deadly poison. A striking example of the essential identity of the two tongues"

This quote by Ambrose Bierce is a humorous way of pointing out the similarities between the Italian and English languages. He is highlighting the fact that the same word can have two completely different meanings depending on the language it is used in. In Italian, the word “belladonna” means “beautiful lady”, while in English it means “deadly poison”. This is a striking example of how two languages can have the same words but with different meanings. Bierce is emphasizing the importance of understanding the context of a word in order to understand its meaning. He is also suggesting that the two languages are more similar than they appear, and that the same words can have different meanings depending on the language they are used in. This quote is a reminder that language is a powerful tool and that it is important to be aware of the nuances of different languages.