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"fake, false" in seven languages

Meaningfake, false

Spanish

falso

/ˈfalso/

inherited

French

faux

/fo/

inherited

fem.: fausse

Italian

falso

/ˈfalso/

inherited

Portuguese

falso

/ˈfawsu/

inherited

Romanian

fals

/fals/

learned

Catalan

fals

/fals/

inherited

English

fake

/feɪk/

other source · origin uncertain (slang)

In formal English, false is the cognate.

English → Italianfake, falsefalsoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: false, falsify, fallacy.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FALSUM‘deceived, false (from FALLERE 'to deceive')’

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

The story

French vocalized the l before s (faux, but feminine fausse), while Spanish and Italian kept FALSUM intact. English has the cognate false, but says fake for a copy.

English relatives: false, falsify, fallacy

Sound laws at work

L before a consonant becomes u

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esEse reloj es falso.
  • frCette montre est fausse.
  • itQuell'orologio è falso.
  • ptEsse relógio é falso.
  • roCeasul ăla e fals.
  • caAquell rellotge és fals.
  • enThat watch is fake.

More words from the same Latin

More in Describing words

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