"eve (the day before)" in seven languages
Meaningeve (the day before)
Spanish
/ˈbispeɾa/
fem.other source · Latin VESPERAM 'evening'
Christmas Eve is Nochebuena; New Year's Eve, Nochevieja.
French
/vɛj/
fem.inherited
La veille de Noël; the Christmas Eve dinner is le réveillon.
Italian
/viˈdʒilja/
fem.learned
The inherited form is veglia, a vigil or a night awake.
Portuguese
/ˈvɛspeɾɐ/
fem.other source · Latin VESPERAM 'evening'
Romanian
/aˈʒun/
neut.other source · Latin IEIŪNIUM 'fasting' (the fast before a feast)
Ajunul Crăciunului is Christmas Eve.
Catalan
/biˈʒiliə/
fem.learned
English
/iv/
native English · Old English ǣfen 'evening'
The Latin ancestor
VIGILIAM‘a night watch, staying awake’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
French and Italian name the eve after the night watch kept before a feast (VIGILIA); Spanish names it after the evening, VESPERA, like English vespers. English eve is just a short form of even(ing).
English relatives: vigil, vigilant; vespers (es)
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLa víspera del examen no pude dormir.
- frLa veille de l'examen, je n'ai pas pu dormir.
- itLa vigilia dell'esame non sono riuscito a dormire.
- ptNa véspera da prova não consegui dormir.
- roÎn ajunul examenului n-am putut dormi.
- caLa vigília de l'examen no vaig poder dormir.
- enOn the eve of the exam I couldn't sleep.