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"camera" in seven languages

Meaningcamera

Spanish

cámara

/ˈkamaɾa/

fem.learned

Also cámara de fotos; the same word names a parliamentary chamber.

French

appareil photo

/apaʁɛj fɔto/

masc.other source · French appareil 'apparatus' (Latin APPARĀRE 'to prepare') + photo

Italian

macchina fotografica

/ˈmakkina fotoˈgrafika/

fem.other source · Latin MĀCHINAM 'device' + fotografica

Also fotocamera. A camera in Italian is a room: camera da letto 'bedroom'.

Portuguese

câmera

/ˈkɐmeɾɐ/

fem.borrowed · English camera

European Portuguese keeps the older learned form câmara.

Romanian

aparat foto

/apaˈrat ˈfoto/

neut.other source · aparat ← Latin APPARĀTUS 'preparation' (via French appareil and German Apparat)

Trap: cameră means 'room'; a video camera is a cameră video.

Catalan

càmera

/ˈkaməɾə/

fem.learned

English

camera

/ˈkæmɹə/

from Latin/French · Latin camera (obscura) 'dark room'

English → Italiancameramacchina fotograficaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: chamber, comrade, camera obscura.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

  • camera (Italian) means “room (camera da letto: bedroom)” · camera (English) means “device for taking photos”

    Latin CAMERA 'vaulted room' (from Greek). English camera is short for camera obscura 'dark chamber', the room-sized ancestor of the device; Italian kept the room.

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

CAMERAM‘vault, vaulted room (from Greek kamára)’

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

The story

The device is named after the camera obscura, the 'dark room'. The same CAMERA gave French chambre and Italian camera 'room', so Italian learners must not ask for a camera in a shop.

English relatives: chamber, comrade, camera obscura

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In a sentence

  • esSe me olvidó la cámara.
  • frJ'ai oublié mon appareil photo.
  • itHo dimenticato la macchina fotografica.
  • ptEsqueci a câmera.
  • roMi-am uitat aparatul foto.
  • caM'he deixat la càmera.
  • enI forgot my camera.

More words from the same Latin

More in Travel

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