"artichoke" in seven languages
Meaningartichoke
Spanish
/alkaˈtʃofa/
fem.borrowed · Andalusian Arabic al-ḫaršúfa
French
/aʁtiʃo/
masc.borrowed · northern Italian articiocco (from Spanish/Arabic)
Italian
/karˈtʃɔfo/
masc.borrowed · Arabic ḫaršūf
Portuguese
/awkaˈʃofɾɐ/
fem.borrowed · Andalusian Arabic al-ḫaršúfa
Romanian
/angiˈnare/
fem.other source · Greek angináres (from kinára 'artichoke')
Catalan
/kərˈʃɔfə/
fem.borrowed · Andalusian Arabic al-ḫaršúfa
English
/ˈɑɹtɪtʃoʊk/
from Latin/French · northern Italian articiocco
The ancestor
Arabic al-ḫaršūf‘artichoke’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
One Arabic word, three disguises: Spanish keeps the article al-, Italian dropped it, and northern Italian articiocco (with the article still fossilised in ar-) gave French artichaut and English artichoke.
English relatives: artichoke (via Italian)