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"choice" in seven languages

Meaningchoice

Spanish

elección

/elekˈθjon/

fem.other source · Latin ĒLECTIŌNEM 'choosing' (learned)

Also opción; elección also means an election.

French

choix

/ʃwa/

masc.inherited

Italian

scelta

/ˈʃelta/

fem.other source · scegliere 'to choose', from Latin *EXĒLIGERE

Portuguese

escolha

/isˈkoʎɐ/

fem.other source · escolher 'to choose', from Latin *EXCOLLIGERE 'to gather out'

Romanian

alegere

/aˈledʒere/

fem.other source · alege 'to choose', an inherited Latin verb built on LEGERE 'to pick'

Catalan

elecció

/ələksiˈo/

fem.other source · Latin ĒLECTIŌNEM 'choosing' (learned)

Everyday Catalan also says tria (from triar 'to pick').

English

choice

/tʃɔɪs/

from Latin/French · Old French chois

English → ItalianchoicesceltaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: choose (native, same Germanic root); elect, select (from LEGERE).What English and Italian share

The ancestor

Gothic *kausjan‘to taste, to test’

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

The story

French choix (verb choisir) came from Germanic 'to taste, test'; English choice is that French word, and native choose is its Germanic cousin. Spanish and Italian built theirs on Latin LEGERE 'to pick'.

English relatives: choose (native, same Germanic root); elect, select (from LEGERE)

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In a sentence

  • esNo tienes elección.
  • frTu n'as pas le choix.
  • itNon hai scelta.
  • ptVocê não tem escolha.
  • roN-ai altă alegere.
  • caNo tens cap altra opció.
  • enYou have no choice.

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