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"chamber (of parliament)" in seven languages

Meaningchamber (of parliament)

Spanish

cámara

/ˈkamaɾa/

fem.learned

Semi-learned: it kept all three syllables. Also 'camera'.

French

chambre

/ʃɑ̃bʁ/

fem.inherited

The everyday meaning is 'bedroom'.

Italian

camera

/ˈkamera/

fem.inherited

Everyday meaning 'bedroom'; a camera is una macchina fotografica.

Portuguese

câmara

/ˈkɐ̃maɾɐ/

fem.learned

Keeps the Latin proparoxytone shape, like Spanish cámara.

Romanian

cameră

/ˈkamerə/

fem.borrowed · Italian camera (and Latin CAMERA)

The inherited descendant is cămară 'pantry'.

Catalan

cambra

/ˈkambɾə/

fem.inherited

CAM(E)RA lost its middle vowel and grew a b between m and r, as in French chambre.

English

chamber

/ˈtʃeɪmbɚ/

from Latin/French · Old French chambre

English → Italianchamber (of parliament)cameraCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

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

    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, arched room (from Greek)’

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

The story

French squeezed CAMERA to *camra and slipped a b between m and r (chambre, like English chamber); Italian kept it whole. English camera is the same word: camera obscura, 'dark room'.

English relatives: camera, chamber, comrade (a 'room-mate')

Sound laws at work

French CA becomes cha

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In a sentence

  • esLa ley fue aprobada por la cámara baja.
  • frLe projet de loi a été adopté par la chambre basse.
  • itLa legge è stata approvata dalla camera bassa.
  • ptA lei foi aprovada pela câmara baixa.
  • roLegea a fost adoptată de camera inferioară.
  • caLa llei va ser aprovada per la cambra baixa.
  • enThe bill was passed by the lower chamber.

More words from the same Latin

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