"god" in seven languages
Meaninggod
Spanish
dios
/djos/
masc.inherited
plural: dioses
From the nominative DEUS, kept by church use: the -s is not a plural.
French
dieu
/djø/
masc.inherited
plural: dieux
Italian
dio
/ˈdio/
masc.inherited
plural: dei
gli dei (irregular article)
Portuguese
deus
/dews/
masc.inherited
Romanian
zeu
/zew/
masc.inherited
Abstracted from Dumnezeu 'God' (DOMINE DEUS); Latin d before e became z.
Catalan
déu
/dɛw/
masc.inherited
English
god
/gɑd/
native English · Old English god
English → ItaliangoddioNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: deity, deify, adieu (fr).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
DEUM (nom. DEUS)‘god’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish dios is one of the few nouns built on the Latin nominative, worn smooth by prayer. French broke the open e into ie, as in pied; Italian irregularly says gli dei.
English relatives: deity, deify, adieu (fr)
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLos griegos tenían muchos dioses.
- frLes Grecs avaient beaucoup de dieux.
- itI greci avevano molti dei.
- ptOs gregos tinham muitos deuses.
- roGrecii aveau mulți zei.
- caEls grecs tenien molts déus.
- enThe Greeks had many gods.