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"dawn" in seven languages

Meaningdawn

Spanish

alba

/ˈalba/

fem.inherited

el alba (feminine; el before stressed a-) · Everyday Spanish says el amanecer.

French

aube

/ob/

fem.inherited

Italian

alba

/ˈalba/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

alvorada

/awvoˈɾadɐ/

fem.other source · alvor 'first light', from Latin ALBŌREM 'whiteness'

Everyday: o amanhecer; madrugada is the small hours.

Romanian

zori

/zorʲ/

fem.other source · Slavic zorja 'dawn'

Plural: în zori 'at dawn'.

Catalan

alba

/ˈalbə/

fem.inherited

Also l'albada, a dawn song.

English

dawn

/dɔn/

native English · Middle English dawning, from Old English dagian 'to become day'

English → ItaliandawnalbaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: album, albino, alb.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

ALBAM‘white (feminine)’

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

The story

Dawn is 'the white one' (ALBA, as in album and albino); French aube vocalized the l, as in sauce from SALSA. Romanian zori is Slavic, and Portuguese builds on alvor 'whiteness'.

English relatives: album, albino, alb

Sound laws at work

L before a consonant becomes u

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In a sentence

  • esSalimos al alba.
  • frNous sommes partis à l'aube.
  • itSiamo partiti all'alba.
  • ptPartimos ao amanhecer.
  • roAm plecat în zori.
  • caVam sortir a l'alba.
  • enWe left at dawn.

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