Faux amis
Même visage, autre sens.
La plupart des ressemblances sont honnêtes : les sœurs partagent des milliers de mots qui veulent dire ce qu’ils semblent dire. Voici les exceptions — certaines issues d’un même mot latin dont le sens a dérivé, d’autres pures coïncidences. Chaque fiche indique ce que les mots signifient vraiment, comment chaque langue dit l’autre, et d’où vient le piège.
camera
signifie ‘room (camera da letto: bedroom)’
camera
signifie ‘device for taking photos’
Pour le dire
- room
- macchina fotografica
Latin CAMERA 'vaulted room' (from Greek). English camera is short for camera obscura 'dark chamber', the room-sized ancestor of the device; Italian kept the room.
Classique
parenti
signifie ‘relatives’
parents
signifie ‘mother and father’
Pour le dire
- relatives
- genitori
Latin PARENTĒS meant 'parents'; Italian parenti and Spanish parientes widened it to all kin. French parents covers both senses.
Classique
fattoria
signifie ‘farm’
factory
signifie ‘manufacturing plant’
Pour le dire
- farm
- fabbrica
Both from Latin FACTOR 'maker, doer'. An Italian fattore was a farm steward, so his fattoria the farm; an English factor was a trading agent, and his factory first a trading post.
Classique
morbido
signifie ‘soft’
morbid
signifie ‘gruesome, preoccupied with death’
Pour le dire
- soft
- morboso
Both from Latin MORBIDUS 'diseased'. Italian softened it through 'delicate, tender (like flesh)' to plain 'soft'; English kept the disease.
Avancé
estate
signifie ‘summer’
estate
signifie ‘property, land’
Pour le dire
- summer
- tenuta / proprietà
Pure coincidence: Italian estate is Latin AESTĀTEM 'summer'; English estate is Old French estat, from STATUM 'condition'.
Avancé