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"enterprise (business, undertaking)" in seven languages

Meaningenterprise (business, undertaking)

Spanish

empresa

/emˈpɾesa/

fem.borrowed · Italian impresa

The everyday word for a company.

French

entreprise

/ɑ̃tʁəpʁiz/

fem.other source · French entreprendre, from Latin INTER + PREHENDERE

The everyday word for a company.

Italian

impresa

/imˈpresa/

fem.inherited

A company is more often azienda or società.

Portuguese

empresa

/ẽˈpɾezɐ/

fem.borrowed · Italian impresa

Romanian

întreprindere

/ɨntreˈprindere/

fem.other source · a calque of French entreprise: între 'between' + prinde 'to take' (Latin INTER + PREHENDERE)

Sounds a little official; in conversation people say firmă or companie.

Catalan

empresa

/əmˈpɾɛzə/

fem.borrowed · Italian impresa

English

enterprise

/ˈɛntɚpɹaɪz/

other source · Old French entreprise

English → Italianenterprise (business, undertaking)impresaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: comprehend, apprehend, prison.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

*IMPREHENDERE (IN + PREHENDERE)‘to take in hand, undertake’

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

The story

An undertaking is something you 'take in hand': Italian impresa from *IMPREHENDERE, lent to Spanish as empresa. French built its own entreprise with entre- 'between', and English borrowed that.

English relatives: comprehend, apprehend, prison

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esTrabaja para una gran empresa.
  • frElle travaille pour une grande entreprise.
  • itLavora per una grande impresa.
  • ptEla trabalha numa grande empresa.
  • roLucrează la o întreprindere mare.
  • caTreballa per a una gran empresa.
  • enShe works for a large enterprise.

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