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"boat" in seven languages

Meaningboat

Spanish

barco

/ˈbaɾko/

masc.inherited

A masculine remake of barca, which survives for small rowing boats.

French

bateau

/bato/

masc.other source · Old English bāt 'boat' + -eau

plural: bateaux

Italian

barca

/ˈbarka/

fem.inherited

A small boat; a ship is la nave (NĀVEM).

Portuguese

barco

/ˈbahku/

masc.inherited

Romanian

barcă

/ˈbarkə/

fem.borrowed · Italian barca, perhaps by way of the Balkan languages

Catalan

barca

/ˈbarkə/

fem.inherited

A ship is a vaixell, from Latin VASCELLUM 'little vessel'.

English

boat

/boʊt/

native English · Old English bāt

English → ItalianboatbarcaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: barge, bark (a ship), embark.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

BARCAM‘small boat (Late Latin)’

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

The story

French borrowed its everyday boat from Old English bāt — the same word as English boat. Spanish and Italian keep the Late Latin barca.

English relatives: barge, bark (a ship), embark

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In a sentence

  • esCruzamos el lago en barco.
  • frOn a traversé le lac en bateau.
  • itAbbiamo attraversato il lago in barca.
  • ptA gente atravessou o lago de barco.
  • roAm traversat lacul cu barca.
  • caVam travessar el llac amb barca.
  • enWe crossed the lake by boat.

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