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"holy" in seven languages

Meaningholy

Spanish

santo

/ˈsanto/

inherited

Shortened to san before most saints' names: San Pedro (but Santo Tomás).

French

saint

/sɛ̃/

inherited

Italian

santo

/ˈsanto/

inherited

San before most saints' names: San Marco.

Portuguese

santo

/ˈsɐ̃tu/

inherited

Romanian

sfânt

/sfɨnt/

other source · Old Church Slavonic svętŭ 'holy'

Catalan

sant

/san/

inherited

English

holy

/ˈhoʊli/

native English · Old English hālig

English → ItalianholysantoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: saint, sanctuary, sanctify, sanction.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SANCTUM‘made sacred (participle of SANCĪRE)’

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

The story

The same word means 'holy' and 'saint' in all three sisters; English uses its native holy beside the borrowed saint.

English relatives: saint, sanctuary, sanctify, sanction

Sound laws at work

French vowel + nasal becomes a nasal vowel

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In a sentence

  • esJerusalén es una ciudad santa para tres religiones.
  • frJérusalem est une ville sainte pour trois religions.
  • itGerusalemme è una città santa per tre religioni.
  • ptJerusalém é uma cidade santa para três religiões.
  • roIerusalimul este un oraș sfânt pentru trei religii.
  • caJerusalem és una ciutat santa per a tres religions.
  • enJerusalem is a holy city for three religions.

More words from the same Latin

More in Ideas

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