"country" in seven languages
Meaningcountry
Spanish
país
/paˈis/
masc.borrowed · French pays
French
pays
/pei/
masc.inherited
Italian
paese
/paˈeze/
masc.inherited
Also 'village': il mio paese can mean 'my home town'.
Portuguese
país
/paˈis/
masc.borrowed · French pays
Romanian
țară
/ˈtsarə/
fem.other source · Latin TERRAM 'land, earth'
Catalan
país
/pəˈis/
masc.borrowed · French pays
English
country
/ˈkʌntɹi/
other source · Old French contrée (Latin *CONTRĀTA 'land lying opposite')
English → ItaliancountrypaeseNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: peasant, pagan.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
PĀGĒNSEM‘(land) of the district, from PĀGUS 'rural district'’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A PĀGUS was a country district; its people were pagenses. English pagan comes from the related PĀGĀNUS 'villager, civilian'. Spanish took país from French.
English relatives: peasant, pagan
Learn it
In a sentence
- es¿De qué país eres?
- frTu viens de quel pays ?
- itDi che paese sei?
- ptDe que país você é?
- roDin ce țară ești?
- caDe quin país ets?
- enWhich country are you from?