"cloud" in seven languages
Meaningcloud
Spanish
nube
/ˈnube/
fem.inherited
French
nuage
/nɥaʒ/
masc.inherited
Old French nue 'cloud' plus the suffix -age; nue survives in poetry.
Italian
nuvola
/ˈnuvola/
fem.inherited
From the plural of NŪBILUM 'cloudy sky', reheard as a feminine singular.
Portuguese
nuvem
/ˈnuvẽj/
fem.inherited
Romanian
nor
/nor/
masc.other source · Latin NŪBILUM 'cloudy sky' (inherited)
Catalan
núvol
/ˈnubul/
masc.other source · Latin NŪBILUM 'cloudy sky'
English
cloud
/klaʊd/
native English · Old English clūd 'rock, hill'
English → ItaliancloudnuvolaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
NŪBEM (nom. NŪBĒS)‘cloud’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish kept the bare noun; French and Italian lengthened it with a suffix. In French alone the cloud turned masculine (le nuage).
Learn it
In a sentence
- esNo hay ni una nube en el cielo.
- frIl n'y a pas un nuage dans le ciel.
- itNon c'è una nuvola in cielo.
- ptNão tem nenhuma nuvem no céu.
- roNu e niciun nor pe cer.
- caNo hi ha ni un núvol al cel.
- enThere isn't a cloud in the sky.