Skip to content

"heat" in seven languages

Meaningheat

Spanish

calor

/kaˈloɾ/

masc.inherited

French

chaleur

/ʃalœʁ/

fem.inherited

Feminine, like most nouns in -eur.

Italian

caldo

/ˈkaldo/

masc.other source · Latin CALIDUM 'hot', used as a noun

Calore exists too, for heat in physics or warmth of feeling.

Portuguese

calor

/kaˈloh/

masc.inherited

Romanian

căldură

/kəlˈdurə/

fem.other source · Vulgar Latin *CALDŪRA, from CAL(I)DUS 'hot'

Catalan

calor

/kəˈlo/

fem.inherited

Feminine in Catalan: la calor.

English

heat

/hit/

native English · Old English hǣtu

English → ItalianheatcaldoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: calorie, caloric, nonchalant.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

  • caldo (Spanish) means “broth” · caldo (Italian) means “hot; heat”

    Both from Latin CALIDUM 'hot'. Spanish caldo is 'the hot (liquid)'; Spanish 'hot' is caliente, from CALENTEM.

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

CALŌREM‘heat’

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

The story

CALŌREM became chaleur once French turned ca- into cha- and the long ō into eu. For hot weather Italian prefers caldo, 'the hot', from the related adjective CALIDUS.

English relatives: calorie, caloric, nonchalant

Sound laws at work

French CA becomes cha

Learn it

Practice the Nature & weather deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esNo aguanto este calor.
  • frJe ne supporte pas cette chaleur.
  • itNon sopporto questo caldo.
  • ptNão aguento este calor.
  • roNu suport căldura asta.
  • caNo suporto aquesta calor.
  • enI can't stand this heat.

More in Nature & weather

All Nature & weather words