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"castle" in seven languages

Meaningcastle

Spanish

castillo

/kasˈtiʝo/

masc.inherited

French

château

/ʃato/

masc.inherited

plural: châteaux

Italian

castello

/kasˈtɛllo/

masc.inherited

Portuguese

castelo

/kasˈtɛlu/

masc.inherited

Romanian

castel

/kasˈtel/

neut.borrowed · Italian castello (and Latin CASTELLUM)

plural: castele

Catalan

castell

/kəsˈteʎ/

masc.inherited

English

castle

/ˈkæsəl/

from Latin/French · Latin CASTELLUM (Old English castel, reinforced by Anglo-Norman castel)

English → ItaliancastlecastelloCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CASTELLUM‘fort (dim. of CASTRUM 'camp')’

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

The story

French did everything at once: ca → cha, the s before t lost under a circumflex, -ellum → -eau. English castle came through Norman French, which kept the ca-.

English relatives: castle, chateau

Sound laws at work

French CA becomes chaFrench loses S before a consonant (^)

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esEl castillo está en una colina.
  • frLe château est sur une colline.
  • itIl castello è su una collina.
  • ptO castelo fica em cima de uma colina.
  • roCastelul este pe un deal.
  • caEl castell és dalt d'un turó.
  • enThe castle is on a hill.

More in Town & city

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