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"course, class (of study)" in seven languages

Meaningcourse, class (of study)

Spanish

curso

/ˈkuɾso/

masc.learned

Also the school year: el curso que viene, 'next year'.

French

cours

/kuʁ/

masc.inherited

plural: cours

Trap: une course is a race or an errand, not a course.

Italian

corso

/ˈkorso/

masc.inherited

Also the main street of a town: il corso.

Portuguese

curso

/ˈkuhsu/

masc.learned

Romanian

curs

/kurs/

neut.borrowed · French cours (and Latin CURSUS)

plural: cursuri

Catalan

curs

/kurs/

masc.learned

English

course

/kɔɹs/

from Latin/French · Old French cours

English → Italiancourse, class (of study)corsoCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CURSUM‘a running, course (from CURRERE 'to run')’

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

The story

Italian and French wore short Ŭ down to o / ou; Spanish curso is a learned borrowing that kept the Latin u (Spanish has corso too, but only for privateering, from Italian).

English relatives: current, cursor, curriculum, occur

Learn it

In a sentence

  • esHago un curso de italiano.
  • frJe suis un cours d'italien.
  • itSto facendo un corso di italiano.
  • ptEstou fazendo um curso de italiano.
  • roFac un curs de italiană.
  • caFaig un curs d'italià.
  • enI'm taking an Italian course.

More words from the same Latin

More in School & learning

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