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"battle" in seven languages

Meaningbattle

Spanish

batalla

/baˈtaʝa/

fem.borrowed · probably from Catalan or Occitan (an inherited Spanish form would have j)

French

bataille

/bataj/

fem.inherited

Italian

battaglia

/batˈtaʎʎa/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

batalha

/baˈtaʎɐ/

fem.inherited

Portuguese lh is the regular outcome of Latin -LI-, as in filho (FĪLIUM).

Romanian

bătălie

/bətəˈlie/

fem.borrowed · Italian battaglia or Modern Greek vatalia, reshaped after bate 'to beat'

Catalan

batalla

/bəˈtaʎə/

fem.inherited

English

battle

/ˈbætəl/

from Latin/French · Old French bataille

English → ItalianbattlebattagliaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

BATTUĀLIA (neut. pl.)‘fighting exercises (from BATTUERE 'to beat')’

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

The story

A Latin neuter plural became a feminine noun. French -aille and Italian -aglia show the regular outcome of LI; Spanish batalla, with ll where hoja-style j was expected, probably came from a neighbour.

English relatives: battalion, battery, combat, debate

Sound laws at work

L + yod

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In a sentence

  • esLa batalla duró tres días.
  • frLa bataille a duré trois jours.
  • itLa battaglia è durata tre giorni.
  • ptA batalha durou três dias.
  • roBătălia a durat trei zile.
  • caLa batalla va durar tres dies.
  • enThe battle lasted three days.

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