"fear" in seven languages
Meaningfear
Spanish
miedo
/ˈmjedo/
masc.other source · Latin METUM 'fear, dread'
Pavor (learned, from PAVŌREM) is 'terror'.
French
peur
/pœʁ/
fem.inherited
Italian
paura
/paˈura/
fem.inherited
From a spoken feminine *PAVŌRA.
Portuguese
medo
/ˈmedu/
masc.other source · Latin METUM 'fear, dread'
Romanian
frică
/ˈfrikə/
fem.other source · of disputed origin (usually traced to Greek phríkē 'shudder')
Catalan
por
/pɔ/
fem.inherited
Feminine, like French peur: tinc por 'I'm afraid'.
English
fear
/fɪɹ/
native English · Old English fǣr
English → ItalianfearpauraNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
PAVŌREM‘fright, panic’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
All three 'have' fear (tener miedo, avoir peur, avere paura). French and Italian kept PAVOR 'panic'; Spanish kept METUS, with the open-e diphthong in miedo.
Learn it
In a sentence
- esTengo miedo a los perros.
- frJ'ai peur des chiens.
- itHo paura dei cani.
- ptTenho medo de cachorro.
- roMi-e frică de câini.
- caTinc por dels gossos.
- enI'm afraid of dogs.