"farm" in seven languages

Meaningfarm

Spanish

granja

/ˈgɾanxa/

fem.other source · French grange 'barn' (from Latin GRĀNUM 'grain')

French

ferme

/fɛʁm/

fem.inherited

From fermer in its old sense 'to fix, settle (an agreement)'.

Italian

fattoria

/fattoˈria/

fem.other source · Italian fattore 'farm steward' (Latin FACTŌREM)

Portuguese

fazenda

/faˈzẽdɐ/

fem.other source · Latin FACIENDA 'things to be done'

In Brazil a large farm; a small one is a sítio. European Portuguese says quinta.

Romanian

fermă

/ˈfermə/

fem.borrowed · French ferme

Catalan

granja

/ˈgranʒə/

fem.other source · French grange 'barn' (from Latin GRĀNUM 'grain')

The traditional Catalan farmhouse is a masia, from MANSUM.

English

farm

/fɑɹm/

from Latin/French · Old French ferme

English → ItalianfarmfattoriaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: firm, confirm, affirm; grain, granary (es).What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

factory (English) means “manufacturing plant” · fattoria (Italian) means “farm”
Both from Latin FACTOR 'maker, doer'. An Italian fattore was a farm steward, so his fattoria the farm; an English factor was a trading agent, and his factory first a trading post.

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

FIRMĀRE‘to make firm, settle’

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

The story

A farm was first a contract: land let out for a fixed rent. English took farm from French ferme; Spanish borrowed French grange 'barn', and Italian named the farm after its steward.

English relatives: firm, confirm, affirm; grain, granary (es)

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In a sentence

esMis abuelos viven en una granja.
frMes grands-parents vivent dans une ferme.
itI miei nonni vivono in una fattoria.
ptMeus avós moram numa fazenda.
roBunicii mei locuiesc la o fermă.
caEls meus avis viuen en una granja.
enMy grandparents live on a farm.

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