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"contact" in seven languages

Meaningcontact

Spanish

contacto

/konˈtakto/

masc.learned

French

contact

/kɔ̃takt/

masc.learned

Italian

contatto

/konˈtatto/

masc.learned

Portuguese

contato

/kõˈtatu/

masc.learned

European Portuguese keeps the c: contacto.

Romanian

contact

/konˈtakt/

neut.learned

Catalan

contacte

/kunˈtaktə/

masc.learned

English

contact

/ˈkɑntækt/

from Latin/French · Latin contactus

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

The Latin ancestor

CONTACTUM‘a touching (CON- + TANGERE 'to touch')’

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

The story

Contact is 'touching together', from TANGERE. Even in this learned word Italian assimilates ct to tt (contatto), while Spanish and French keep the cluster.

English relatives: tact, tangent, contagious, intact

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In a sentence

  • esPerdí el contacto con él.
  • frJ'ai perdu le contact avec lui.
  • itHo perso il contatto con lui.
  • ptPerdi o contato com ele.
  • roAm pierdut contactul cu el.
  • caVaig perdre el contacte amb ell.
  • enI lost contact with him.

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