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"dinner, supper" in seven languages

Meaningdinner, supper

Spanish

cena

/ˈθena/

fem.inherited

French

dîner

/dine/

masc.other source · Old French disner, from *DISIĒIŪNĀRE 'to break one's fast'

Italian

cena

/ˈtʃena/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

jantar

/ʒɐ̃ˈtah/

masc.other source · Latin IENTĀRE 'to have breakfast'

Romanian

cină

/ˈtʃinə/

fem.inherited

Catalan

sopar

/suˈpa/

masc.other source · Catalan sopa 'soup' (Late Latin SUPPA, from Germanic)

English

dinner

/ˈdɪnɚ/

other source · Old French disner (Latin *DISIĒIŪNĀRE)

English → Italiandinner, suppercenaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: cenacle.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

  • cena (Portuguese) means “scene” · cena (Spanish) means “dinner, supper”

    Coincidence of spelling. Portuguese cena is learned, from SCAENAM 'stage'; Spanish cena is inherited from CĒNAM 'dinner'. Portuguese's own CĒNAM is ceia 'supper' (a Santa Ceia, the Last Supper).

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

CĒNAM‘the main (afternoon) meal’

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

The story

The same cena, said θ in Spain and tʃ in Italy. French dîner first meant the morning meal; meals drifted later over the centuries, dragging their names with them.

English relatives: cenacle

Sound laws at work

C before E and I

Learn it

Practice the Food & drink deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • es¿Qué hay de cena?
  • frQu'est-ce qu'on mange ce soir ?
  • itCosa c'è per cena?
  • ptO que tem para o jantar?
  • roCe avem la cină?
  • caQuè hi ha per sopar?
  • enWhat's for dinner?

More in Food & drink

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