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"anger" in seven languages

Meaninganger

Spanish

enfado

/enˈfado/

masc.other source · from enfadar, probably from Galician-Portuguese enfadar 'to weary', built on fado 'fate' ← FĀTUM

Latin America prefers enojo; learned cólera is formal.

French

colère

/kɔlɛʁ/

fem.learned

Italian

rabbia

/ˈrabbja/

fem.other source · spoken Latin *RABIA, Classical RABIEM 'madness, rage'

Also 'rabies'; collera is the learned synonym.

Portuguese

raiva

/ˈhajvɐ/

fem.other source · spoken Latin *RABIA, Classical RABIEM 'madness, rage'

Also 'rabies', like Italian rabbia; the yod of -BI- slipped back into the syllable before it.

Romanian

furie

/fuˈrie/

fem.other source · Latin FURIAM 'rage', through French furie

Mânie is the older word; supărare is milder, 'upset'.

Catalan

ràbia

/ˈrabiə/

fem.other source · Latin RABIEM 'madness, rage' (spoken *RABIA)

Also 'rabies'; enuig and còlera are more formal.

English

anger

/ˈæŋɡɚ/

other source · Old Norse angr

English → ItalianangerrabbiaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: choler, choleric, cholera (CHOLERA); rabies, rage (RABIEM).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CHOLERAM (Greek kholérā)‘bile; a bilious illness’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Medieval medicine blamed anger on too much yellow bile (Greek kholḗ), so French colère is literally 'biliousness'. Italian rabbia is rage as madness — the same word as rabies.

English relatives: choler, choleric, cholera (CHOLERA); rabies, rage (RABIEM)

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In a sentence

  • esNo podía ocultar su enfado.
  • frElle ne pouvait pas cacher sa colère.
  • itNon riusciva a nascondere la rabbia.
  • ptEla não conseguia esconder a raiva.
  • roNu-și putea ascunde furia.
  • caNo podia amagar la ràbia.
  • enShe couldn't hide her anger.

More in Feelings

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