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"cake" in seven languages

Meaningcake

Spanish

tarta

/ˈtaɾta/

fem.other source · French tarte, of disputed origin

Pastel is also common, and is the usual word in Latin America.

French

gâteau

/gato/

masc.other source · Old French gastel, from Frankish *wastil 'food'

plural: gâteaux

Italian

torta

/ˈtorta/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

bolo

/ˈbolu/

masc.other source · of uncertain origin

Romanian

tort

/tort/

neut.borrowed · German Torte (from Italian torta)

Tort is a layered celebration cake; smaller cakes and pastries are prăjituri.

Catalan

pastís

/pəsˈtis/

masc.other source · a derivative of pasta 'dough', from Late Latin PASTA

English

cake

/keɪk/

other source · Old Norse kaka

English → ItaliancaketortaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: tart, torte.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

TORTAM‘round flat loaf’

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

The story

Four words with no common source. Italian torta is a Late Latin round loaf; French gâteau is Frankish, with the circumflex marking a lost s (Old French gastel); English cake is Norse.

English relatives: tart, torte

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In a sentence

  • esHe hecho una tarta de chocolate.
  • frJ'ai fait un gâteau au chocolat.
  • itHo fatto una torta al cioccolato.
  • ptFiz um bolo de chocolate.
  • roAm făcut un tort de ciocolată.
  • caHe fet un pastís de xocolata.
  • enI made a chocolate cake.

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