Skip to content

"circle" in seven languages

Meaningcircle

Spanish

círculo

/ˈθiɾkulo/

masc.learned

French

cercle

/sɛʁkl/

masc.learned

Semi-learned: the vowel changed, but the cl was never softened as in œil.

Italian

cerchio

/ˈtʃerkjo/

masc.inherited

The learned doublet circolo means 'club, society'.

Portuguese

círculo

/ˈsihkulu/

masc.learned

Romanian

cerc

/tʃerk/

neut.other source · Latin CIRCUM 'ring', the base of CIRCULUS

Catalan

cercle

/ˈsɛɾklə/

masc.learned

Semi-learned, as in French: the vowel changed but the cl stayed.

English

circle

/ˈsɝkəl/

from Latin/French · Old French cercle / Latin CIRCULUS

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

The Latin ancestor

CIRCULUM‘ring, small circle’

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

The story

Only Italian kept the spoken word: CIRCULUM → cerchio, with the same cl → cchi as occhio. Italian also has the learned circolo, which means a club.

English relatives: circular, circulate, circus

Sound laws at work

C'L inside a wordC before E and I

Learn it

Practice the Ideas deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esDibuja un círculo.
  • frDessine un cercle.
  • itDisegna un cerchio.
  • ptDesenhe um círculo.
  • roDesenează un cerc.
  • caDibuixa un cercle.
  • enDraw a circle.

More in Ideas

All Ideas words