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"far" in seven languages

Meaningfar

Spanish

lejos

/ˈlexos/

other source · Latin LAXIUS 'more loosely, more widely'

French

loin

/lwɛ̃/

inherited

Italian

lontano

/lonˈtano/

other source · Vulgar Latin *LONGITĀNUM, built on LONGĒ

Portuguese

longe

/ˈlõʒi/

inherited

Romanian

departe

/deˈparte/

other source · Latin DĒ PARTE 'from the side'

Catalan

lluny

/ʎuɲ/

inherited

Catalan palatalised initial l-: LONGĒ → lluny.

English

far

/fɑɹ/

native English · Old English feorr

English → ItalianfarlontanoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: longitude, elongate.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LONGĒ‘far off (from LONGUS 'long')’

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

The story

French loin is LONGĒ itself; Italian lontano is a spoken-Latin adjective built on it. Spanish lejos is unrelated: LAXIUS 'more loosely', with x becoming the throaty j.

English relatives: longitude, elongate

Sound laws at work

French vowel + nasal becomes a nasal vowel

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In a sentence

  • esLa estación está lejos de aquí.
  • frLa gare est loin d'ici.
  • itLa stazione è lontana da qui.
  • ptA estação fica longe daqui.
  • roGara e departe de aici.
  • caL'estació és lluny d'aquí.
  • enThe station is far from here.

More in Little words

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