"illness, disease" in seven languages
Meaningillness, disease
Spanish
enfermedad
/enfeɾmeˈdad/
fem.other source · Latin INFIRMITĀTEM 'weakness'
French
maladie
/maladi/
fem.inherited
Italian
malattia
/malatˈtia/
fem.inherited
Portuguese
doença
/doˈẽsɐ/
fem.other source · Latin DOLENTIA, from DOLĒRE 'to hurt'
Romanian
boală
/ˈbo̯alə/
fem.other source · Slavic bolĭ 'illness'
Catalan
malaltia
/mələlˈtiə/
fem.inherited
English
illness
/ˈɪlnəs/
other source · ill (Old Norse illr) + -ness
English → Italianillness, diseasemalattiaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: malady; infirmity (es).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MALE HABITUM‘in poor condition’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
French and Italian illness is the state of being 'badly kept' (malade + -ie, malato + -ia). Spanish uses INFIRMITĀTEM, its -TĀTEM worn to -dad as in ciudad.
English relatives: malady; infirmity (es)
Sound laws at work
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In a sentence
- esEs una enfermedad rara.
- frC'est une maladie rare.
- itÈ una malattia rara.
- ptÉ uma doença rara.
- roEste o boală rară.
- caÉs una malaltia rara.
- enIt is a rare disease.