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"history; story" in seven languages

Meaninghistory; story

Spanish

historia

/isˈtoɾja/

fem.learned

French

histoire

/istwaʁ/

fem.learned

Italian

storia

/ˈstɔrja/

fem.learned

Portuguese

história

/isˈtɔɾjɐ/

fem.learned

Romanian

istorie

/isˈtorie/

fem.learned

Only 'history': a story you tell is a poveste.

Catalan

història

/isˈtɔɾiə/

fem.learned

English

history

/ˈhɪstəɹi/

from Latin/French · Latin historia

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

The Latin ancestor

HISTORIAM‘inquiry; narrative (from Greek historía)’

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

The story

The sisters need one word where English has two: history and story are the same Latin word, story clipped in medieval Anglo-French (estorie). Italian clipped it too: storia.

English relatives: history, story

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In a sentence

  • esCuéntame una historia.
  • frRaconte-moi une histoire.
  • itRaccontami una storia.
  • ptMe conta uma história.
  • roSpune-mi o poveste.
  • caExplica'm una història.
  • enTell me a story.

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