"a lot, much" in seven languages
Meaninga lot, much
Spanish
mucho
/ˈmutʃo/
inherited
French
beaucoup
/boku/
other source · French beau coup 'a fine blow' (BELLUM + COLAPHUM)
Italian
molto
/ˈmolto/
inherited
Portuguese
muito
/ˈmũjtu/
inherited
Romanian
mult
/mult/
inherited
Catalan
molt
/mol/
inherited
English
much
/mʌtʃ/
native English · Old English mycel
English → Italiana lot, muchmoltoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: multiple, multitude.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MULTUM‘much’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
In Spanish the l of MULTUM turned into a glide, and the it-cluster became ch, just as NOCTEM → noche. French 'a lot' is 'a fine stroke' — as in coup de chance.
English relatives: multiple, multitude
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esTrabajo mucho.
- frJe travaille beaucoup.
- itLavoro molto.
- ptTrabalho muito.
- roMuncesc mult.
- caTreballo molt.
- enI work a lot.