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"fuel" in seven languages

Meaningfuel

Spanish

combustible

/kombusˈtible/

masc.learned

French

combustible

/kɔ̃bystibl/

masc.learned

For cars, carburant is the usual word.

Italian

combustibile

/kombusˈtibile/

masc.learned

For cars, carburante is the usual word.

Portuguese

combustível

/kõbusˈtʃivew/

masc.learned

Romanian

combustibil

/kombusˈtibil/

neut.learned

Catalan

combustible

/kumbusˈtiblə/

masc.learned

English

fuel

/ˈfjuəl/

other source · Old French fouaille 'firewood', from Latin FOCUS 'hearth'

English → ItalianfuelcombustibileNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: combustion, combustible.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

COMBŪRERE‘to burn up’

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

The story

The sisters say 'burnable': a learned word built on COMBŪRERE. English fuel is what went on the hearth (FOCUS), the same word as French feu and Spanish fuego.

English relatives: combustion, combustible

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In a sentence

  • esNos quedamos sin combustible.
  • frNous sommes tombés en panne de carburant.
  • itSiamo rimasti senza carburante.
  • ptFicamos sem combustível.
  • roAm rămas fără combustibil.
  • caEns hem quedat sense combustible.
  • enWe ran out of fuel.

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