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"elementary (basic)" in seven languages

Meaningelementary (basic)

Spanish

elemental

/elemenˈtal/

learned

Built with -al; the school is la primaria.

French

élémentaire

/elemɑ̃tɛʁ/

learned

L'école élémentaire is primary school.

Italian

elementare

/elemenˈtare/

learned

Le elementari is primary school.

Portuguese

elementar

/elemẽˈtah/

learned

Romanian

elementar

/elemenˈtar/

learned

Catalan

elemental

/ələmənˈtal/

learned

English

elementary

/ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/

from Latin/French · Latin ELEMENTĀRIUS

English → Italianelementary (basic)elementareCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

ELEMENTĀRIUM‘of the elements, rudimentary’

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

The story

ELEMENTA were the first letters, the ABCs. French and Italian name primary school after them; Spanish uses the -al form and says primaria for the school.

English relatives: element, elemental

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In a sentence

  • esEs un error elemental.
  • frC'est une erreur élémentaire.
  • itÈ un errore elementare.
  • ptÉ um erro elementar.
  • roEste o greșeală elementară.
  • caÉs un error elemental.
  • enIt's an elementary mistake.

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