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"heavy" in seven languages

Meaningheavy

Spanish

pesado

/peˈsado/

inherited

Also 'annoying' of people: ¡qué pesado!

French

lourd

/luʁ/

other source · Latin LŪRIDUM 'sallow, ghastly', via a sense 'dull, oafish'

Italian

pesante

/peˈsante/

inherited

Portuguese

pesado

/peˈzadu/

inherited

Romanian

greu

/grew/

other source · Latin GRAVEM 'heavy' (in a spoken variant with e)

fem.: grea

Catalan

pesant

/pəˈzan/

inherited

English

heavy

/ˈhɛvi/

native English · Old English hefig

English → ItalianheavypesanteNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: pensive, poise, compensate (PĒNSĀRE); lurid (LŪRIDUM).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

PĒNSĀRE‘to weigh (frequentative of PENDERE)’

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

The story

Spanish and Italian 'heavy' is 'weighed' (PĒNSĀRE, which also gave pensar 'to think' — weighing ideas). French lourd began as Latin LŪRIDUS 'sallow', English lurid.

English relatives: pensive, poise, compensate (PĒNSĀRE); lurid (LŪRIDUM)

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In a sentence

  • esEsta maleta pesa mucho.
  • frCette valise est lourde.
  • itQuesta valigia è pesante.
  • ptEsta mala está pesada.
  • roValiza asta e grea.
  • caAquesta maleta pesa molt.
  • enThis suitcase is heavy.

The Latin family

PEND-, PENS-· hang, weigh

PENSĀRE 'to weigh' already lost its n in spoken Latin (NS → S, as in MĒNSA → mesa), giving the inherited pesar, peser, pesare 'to weigh'. The Church and the schools kept the full form for 'weighing things in the mind', and pensar, penser, pensare 'to think' are that learned branch. French even has a third doublet: panser 'to dress (a wound)', originally just a spelling of penser 'to take care of'. Portuguese and Catalan keep both doublets (pesar beside pensar). Romanian kept only the worn-down one, as păsa 'to matter' (nu-mi pasă 'I don't care'), and thinks with gândi, a Hungarian loan.

  • PENSĀREto weigh

    espesarfrpeseritpesareptpesarropăsacapesar

  • PENSĀREto weigh in the mind, think

    espensarfrpenseritpensareptpensarcapensar

  • PENSUMa weight (of wool)

    espesofrpoidsitpesoptpesocapesenpoise

  • PENSIŌNEMa payment (weighed out)

    espensiónfrpensionitpensioneptpensãoropensiecapensióenpension

  • COMPENSĀREto weigh one thing against another

    escompensarfrcompenseritcompensareptcompensarrocompensacacompensarencompensate

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