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"dust" in seven languages

Meaningdust

Spanish

polvo

/ˈpolbo/

masc.inherited

Also 'powder'.

French

poussière

/pusjɛʁ/

fem.inherited

Built on Old French pous 'dust' + -ière.

Italian

polvere

/ˈpolvere/

fem.inherited

Also 'powder'.

Portuguese

poeira

/poˈejɾɐ/

fem.inherited

Built on pó 'powder', the worn-down heir of the same Latin word.

Romanian

praf

/praf/

neut.other source · Slavic (Old Church Slavonic prachŭ)

Catalan

pols

/pɔls/

fem.inherited

Feminine, like French poussière and Italian polvere.

English

dust

/dʌst/

native English · Old English dūst

English → ItaliandustpolvereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: pulverize, powder.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

  • polvo (Portuguese) means “octopus” · polvo (Spanish) means “dust, powder”

    Coincidence. Portuguese polvo is Latin POLYPUM (from Greek polýpous 'many-footed'), the source of Spanish pulpo too; Spanish polvo is spoken Latin *PULVUS (classical PULVIS 'dust').

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

PULVEREM (nom. PULVIS)‘dust, powder’

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

The story

Spanish and Italian keep one word for dust and powder. French turned the l into u (pous, hence poussière), and its poudre 'powder', from the same Latin word, gave English powder.

English relatives: pulverize, powder

Sound laws at work

L before a consonant becomes u

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esLa mesa está cubierta de polvo.
  • frLa table est couverte de poussière.
  • itIl tavolo è coperto di polvere.
  • ptA mesa está coberta de poeira.
  • roMasa e plină de praf.
  • caLa taula està coberta de pols.
  • enThe table is covered in dust.

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