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"flood" in seven languages

Meaningflood

Spanish

inundación

/inundaˈθjon/

fem.learned

French

inondation

/inɔ̃dasjɔ̃/

fem.learned

Italian

inondazione

/inondatˈtsjone/

fem.learned

For a disastrous flood the news usually says alluvione.

Portuguese

enchente

/ẽˈʃẽtʃi/

fem.other source · encher 'to fill' (Latin IMPLĒRE)

Inundação is the formal word; in Brazil a river's flood is an enchente.

Romanian

inundație

/inunˈdatsie/

fem.learned

Catalan

inundació

/inundəˈsjo/

fem.learned

English

flood

/flʌd/

native English · Old English flōd

A native relative of flow.

English → ItalianfloodinondazioneNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: inundate, undulate, abound.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

INUNDĀTIŌNEM‘an overflowing (UNDA 'wave')’

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

The story

UNDA 'wave' sits inside all three words: a flood is the land 'waved over'. English flood is a native Germanic word instead.

English relatives: inundate, undulate, abound

Sound laws at work

-TIŌNEM: learned -ción, inherited -zón

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In a sentence

  • esLa inundación destruyó el puente.
  • frL'inondation a détruit le pont.
  • itL'inondazione ha distrutto il ponte.
  • ptA enchente destruiu a ponte.
  • roInundația a distrus podul.
  • caLa inundació va destruir el pont.
  • enThe flood destroyed the bridge.

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