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"boredom" in seven languages

Meaningboredom

Spanish

aburrimiento

/aburiˈmjento/

masc.other source · from aburrir ← Latin ABHORRĒRE 'to shrink from'

French

ennui

/ɑ̃nɥi/

masc.inherited

Italian

noia

/ˈnɔja/

fem.borrowed · Old Provençal enoja

Portuguese

tédio

/ˈtɛdʒju/

masc.other source · learned, from Latin TAEDIUM 'weariness'

Romanian

plictiseală

/pliktiˈse̯alə/

fem.other source · from plictisi 'to bore', from Modern Greek

Catalan

avorriment

/əburiˈmen/

masc.other source · from avorrir 'to bore' ← Latin ABHORRĒRE 'to shrink from'

English

boredom

/ˈbɔɹdəm/

native English · bore (18th c., origin obscure) + -dom

Borrowed 'annoy' is the shared word.

English → ItalianboredomnoiaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: annoy, ennui (INODIĀRE); abhor (ABHORRĒRE); odious (ODIUM).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

*INODIĀRE‘to annoy (from IN ODIŌ 'in hatred')’

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

The story

Boredom was once hatred: IN ODIŌ ESSE 'to be held in hatred' gave French ennui, Italian noia and English annoy. Spanish aburrir 'to bore' is ABHORRĒRE, English abhor.

English relatives: annoy, ennui (INODIĀRE); abhor (ABHORRĒRE); odious (ODIUM)

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In a sentence

  • esMe muero de aburrimiento.
  • frJe meurs d'ennui.
  • itMuoio di noia.
  • ptEstou morrendo de tédio.
  • roMor de plictiseală.
  • caEm moro d'avorriment.
  • enI'm dying of boredom.

More in Feelings

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