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"budget" in seven languages

Meaningbudget

Spanish

presupuesto

/pɾesuˈpwesto/

masc.other source · pre- + supuesto 'supposed' (from suponer): 'what is assumed in advance'

French

budget

/bydʒɛ/

masc.borrowed · English budget, itself from Old French bougette

Italian

bilancio

/biˈlantʃo/

masc.other source · bilancia 'scales', from Latin BILANX 'with two pans'

For a trip or a project Italians usually just say il budget.

Portuguese

orçamento

/ohsaˈmẽtu/

masc.other source · orçar 'to estimate', of uncertain origin

Romanian

buget

/buˈdʒet/

neut.borrowed · French budget

Catalan

pressupost

/pɾəsuˈpɔst/

masc.other source · pressuposar 'to presuppose': 'what is assumed in advance', like Spanish presupuesto

English

budget

/ˈbʌdʒɪt/

from Latin/French · Old French bougette 'little bag'

English → ItalianbudgetbilancioNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: bulge.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

BULGAM‘leather bag (a word Latin took from Gaulish)’

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

The story

A budget was first a little bag: English took Old French bougette, used it for the finance minister's annual accounts, and French borrowed it back as budget. Spanish counts what is 'presupposed', Italian what is 'balanced'.

English relatives: bulge

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In a sentence

  • esEl ayuntamiento aprobó el presupuesto.
  • frLe conseil municipal a voté le budget.
  • itIl consiglio comunale ha approvato il bilancio.
  • ptA câmara municipal aprovou o orçamento.
  • roConsiliul local a aprobat bugetul.
  • caL'ajuntament va aprovar el pressupost.
  • enThe council approved the budget.

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