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"heel (of the foot)" in seven languages

Meaningheel (of the foot)

Spanish

talón

/taˈlon/

masc.inherited

A shoe's heel is a tacón.

French

talon

/talɔ̃/

masc.inherited

Also the heel of a shoe: des talons hauts.

Italian

tallone

/talˈlone/

masc.inherited

Calcagno, from CALCĀNEUM, is a synonym.

Portuguese

calcanhar

/kawkaˈɲah/

masc.other source · spoken Latin *CALCĀNEUM, from CALX 'heel'

Romanian

călcâi

/kəlˈkɨj/

neut.other source · spoken Latin *CALCĀNEUM, from CALX 'heel'

plural: călcâie

Catalan

taló

/təˈlo/

masc.inherited

plural: talons

Also the heel of a shoe.

English

heel

/hil/

native English · Old English hēla

English → Italianheel (of the foot)talloneNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: talon.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

*TALŌNEM‘heel (from TALUS 'ankle bone')’

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

The story

Achilles' heel is the talón, talon, tallone and taló de Aquiles, but Portuguese and Romanian use CALX 'heel': calcanhar and călcâi. English talon, a bird's claw, is Old French talon 'heel'.

English relatives: talon

Sound laws at work

French vowel + nasal becomes a nasal vowelCatalan drops -n at the end of a word

Learn it

Practice the The body deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esEstos zapatos me hacen daño en los talones.
  • frCes chaussures me font mal aux talons.
  • itQueste scarpe mi fanno male ai talloni.
  • ptEsses sapatos machucam meu calcanhar.
  • roPantofii ăștia mă rod la călcâie.
  • caAquestes sabates em fan mal als talons.
  • enThese shoes hurt my heels.

More in The body

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