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"border, frontier" in seven languages

Meaningborder, frontier

Spanish

frontera

/fɾonˈteɾa/

fem.inherited

From frontero 'facing', on frente 'front'.

French

frontière

/fʁɔ̃tjɛʁ/

fem.inherited

Italian

frontiera

/fronˈtjɛra/

fem.borrowed · French frontière

Also confine (m).

Portuguese

fronteira

/fɾõˈtejɾɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

graniță

/ˈgranitsə/

fem.other source · Slavic granica 'boundary'

The learned frontieră exists but is formal.

Catalan

frontera

/fɾunˈteɾə/

fem.inherited

English

border

/ˈbɔɹdɚ/

other source · Old French bordure, from Frankish *bord 'edge'

English → Italianborder, frontierfrontieraNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: front, frontier, confront.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FRONTEM (nom. FRŌNS)‘forehead, front’

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

The story

A border is the line where two countries stand 'face to face'. Italian's -iera ending gives away the French loan.

English relatives: front, frontier, confront

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In a sentence

  • esCruzamos la frontera de noche.
  • frOn a passé la frontière de nuit.
  • itAbbiamo passato la frontiera di notte.
  • ptA gente cruzou a fronteira à noite.
  • roAm trecut granița noaptea.
  • caVam creuar la frontera de nit.
  • enWe crossed the border at night.

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