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"height" in seven languages

Meaningheight

Spanish

altura

/alˈtuɾa/

fem.inherited

Built on alto 'high'; a person's height is usually estatura.

French

hauteur

/otœʁ/

fem.inherited

Built on haut 'high'; a person's height is la taille.

Italian

altezza

/alˈtettsa/

fem.inherited

Built on alto 'high'; also used for a person's height.

Portuguese

altura

/awˈtuɾɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

înălțime

/ɨnəlˈtsime/

fem.inherited

Built on înalt 'high', from Latin IN + ALTUM.

Catalan

alçada

/əlˈsadə/

fem.inherited

English

height

/haɪt/

native English · Old English hēhþu, from hēah 'high'

English → ItalianheightaltezzaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: altitude, altimeter, exalt.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

ALTUM‘high, deep’

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

The story

Each sister built its own noun on ALTUS 'high': Spanish -ura, French -eur, Italian -ezza. French haut lost its l to a u and took an h- from a Frankish word for 'high'.

English relatives: altitude, altimeter, exalt

Sound laws at work

L before a consonant becomes u

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In a sentence

  • es¿Qué altura tiene la torre?
  • frQuelle est la hauteur de la tour ?
  • itQual è l'altezza della torre?
  • ptQual é a altura da torre?
  • roCe înălțime are turnul?
  • caQuina alçada té la torre?
  • enWhat is the height of the tower?

More words from the same Latin

More in Ideas

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