"bitter" in seven languages
Meaningbitter
Spanish
amargo
/aˈmaɾɡo/
inherited
From *AMĀRICUS, a spoken extension of AMĀRUS.
French
amer
/amɛʁ/
inherited
fem.: amère
Italian
amaro
/aˈmaro/
inherited
Also a bitter herbal liqueur, un amaro.
Portuguese
amargo
/aˈmahɡu/
inherited
Romanian
amar
/aˈmar/
inherited
Catalan
amarg
/əˈmark/
inherited
fem.: amarga
English
bitter
/ˈbɪtɚ/
native English · Old English biter
English → ItalianbitteramaroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: amaretto.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
AMĀRUM‘bitter’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
French amer shows the free A → e, as in mer from MARE; Spanish, Portuguese and Catalan built theirs on a spoken extension (amargo, amarg). Spanish amarillo 'yellow' is probably a diminutive of the same word, the colour of bile.
English relatives: amaretto
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEste café está muy amargo.
- frCe café est très amer.
- itQuesto caffè è molto amaro.
- ptEsse café está muito amargo.
- roCafeaua asta e foarte amară.
- caAquest cafè és molt amarg.
- enThis coffee is very bitter.