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"guitar" in seven languages

Meaningguitar

Spanish

guitarra

/giˈtara/

fem.borrowed · Arabic qīṭāra, from Greek kithára

French

guitare

/gitaʁ/

fem.borrowed · Spanish guitarra

Italian

chitarra

/kiˈtarra/

fem.borrowed · Greek kithára (whether through Latin or Arabic is debated)

Portuguese

violão

/vioˈlɐ̃w/

masc.other source · Portuguese viola (of uncertain origin) + augmentative -ão

In Brazil, guitarra is the electric guitar; in Portugal the acoustic one is a guitarra or viola.

Romanian

chitară

/kiˈtarə/

fem.borrowed · Italian chitarra and German Gitarre

Catalan

guitarra

/ɡiˈtarə/

fem.borrowed · Spanish guitarra

English

guitar

/gɪˈtɑɹ/

from Latin/French · Spanish guitarra, via French

English → ItalianguitarchitarraCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The ancestor

Greek kithára‘a lyre-like string instrument’

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

The story

The Greek kithára reached Spain through Arabic and came out as guitarra; French and English took the Spanish word. Italian chitarra keeps the Greek k sound.

English relatives: zither, cithara

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In a sentence

  • esToca la guitarra.
  • frIl joue de la guitare.
  • itSuona la chitarra.
  • ptEle toca violão.
  • roCântă la chitară.
  • caToca la guitarra.
  • enHe plays the guitar.

More in Ideas

All Ideas words