Skip to content

"around" in seven languages

Meaningaround

Spanish

alrededor de

/alredeˈdoɾ de/

other source · Old Spanish derredor ← redor ← Latin RETRŌ 'back'

French

autour de

/otuʁ də/

inherited

au + tour 'turn, circuit'.

Italian

intorno a

/inˈtorno a/

inherited

in + torno 'turn'.

Portuguese

em volta de

/ẽj ˈvɔwtɐ dʒi/

other source · volta 'turn', from spoken Latin *VOLVITA (VOLVERE 'to roll')

Romanian

în jurul

/ɨn ˈʒurul/

other source · jur 'circle, surroundings' (Latin GYRUM, from Greek gŷros)

Catalan

al voltant de

/əl bulˈtan də/

other source · voltar 'to go round', from spoken Latin *VOLVITA (VOLVERE 'to roll')

English

around

/əˈɹaʊnd/

other source · a- + round, from Old French ro(o)nd ← Latin ROTUNDUM

English → Italianaroundintorno aNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: turn, tour, tournament, return.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

TORNUM‘lathe (from Greek tórnos)’

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

The story

French and Italian go 'in the turn' of something, from TORNUS, a turner's lathe. Spanish went 'round the back' instead (RETRŌ), and English took 'round' from French.

English relatives: turn, tour, tournament, return

Learn it

Practice the Little words deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esPaseamos alrededor del lago.
  • frOn s'est promenés autour du lac.
  • itAbbiamo passeggiato intorno al lago.
  • ptCaminhamos em volta do lago.
  • roNe-am plimbat în jurul lacului.
  • caVam passejar al voltant del llac.
  • enWe walked around the lake.

More words from the same Latin

More in Little words

All Little words words