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"floor, ground" in seven languages

Meaningfloor, ground

Spanish

suelo

/ˈswelo/

masc.inherited

French

sol

/sɔl/

masc.inherited

A wooden floor is le plancher.

Italian

pavimento

/paviˈmento/

masc.other source · learned, from Latin PAVĪMENTUM 'rammed floor'

Suolo, the cognate of suelo, means the ground or soil outdoors.

Portuguese

chão

/ʃɐ̃w/

masc.other source · Latin PLĀNUM 'flat (ground)'

Romanian

podea

/poˈde̯a/

fem.other source · Slavic pod 'floor'

Catalan

terra

/ˈtɛrə/

masc.other source · Latin TERRAM 'earth'

Masculine el terra is the floor; feminine la terra is the earth.

English

floor

/flɔɹ/

native English · Old English flōr

English → Italianfloor, groundpavimentoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: pavement (PAVĪMENTUM).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SOLUM‘ground, base’

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

The story

Spanish suelo and Italian suolo show the two diphthongs of short Ŏ, but indoors Italian walks on a pavimento — a false friend for English pavement.

English relatives: pavement (PAVĪMENTUM)

Sound laws at work

Stressed short O breaks into ue / uo / eu

Learn it

Practice the Home deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esLas llaves están en el suelo.
  • frLes clés sont par terre.
  • itLe chiavi sono sul pavimento.
  • ptAs chaves estão no chão.
  • roCheile sunt pe podea.
  • caLes claus són a terra.
  • enThe keys are on the floor.

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