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"ankle" in seven languages

Meaningankle

Spanish

tobillo

/toˈbiʎo/

masc.other source · probably Latin TŪBER 'lump, swelling' (via a diminutive)

French

cheville

/ʃəvij/

fem.inherited

From spoken *CAVICULA, with the first l lost; also a wooden peg or wall plug.

Italian

caviglia

/kaˈviʎʎa/

fem.inherited

Like French, from *CAVICULA; also a peg.

Portuguese

tornozelo

/tohnoˈzelu/

masc.other source · probably torno 'lathe, turn' (Latin TORNUM)

Romanian

gleznă

/ˈɡleznə/

fem.other source · Slavic (cf. Bulgarian glezen)

Catalan

turmell

/turˈmeʎ/

masc.other source · of uncertain origin

English

ankle

/ˈæŋkəl/

native English · Old English ancleow, reshaped after Old Norse

English → ItaliananklecavigliaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: clavicle.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CLĀVĪCULAM‘little key, peg (spoken *CAVICULA)’

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

The story

French and Italian see the ankle bone as 'a little peg' (CLĀVĪCULA, spoken *CAVICULA): cheville with CA → cha, caviglia with gli. English clavicle is the same Latin word, given to the collarbone.

English relatives: clavicle

Sound laws at work

French CA becomes chaC'L inside a word

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In a sentence

  • esSe torció el tobillo corriendo.
  • frElle s'est tordu la cheville en courant.
  • itSi è storta la caviglia correndo.
  • ptEla torceu o tornozelo correndo.
  • roȘi-a sucit glezna alergând.
  • caEs va torçar el turmell corrent.
  • enShe twisted her ankle while running.

More in The body

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