"inch (unit of length)" in seven languages
Meaninginch (unit of length)
Spanish
pulgada
/pulˈgada/
fem.inherited
Built on pulgar 'thumb' (POLLICĀREM).
French
pouce
/pus/
masc.inherited
Also simply 'thumb'.
Italian
pollice
/ˈpɔllitʃe/
masc.inherited
Also 'thumb'; screens are sold in pollici.
Portuguese
polegada
/poleˈɡadɐ/
fem.inherited
Romanian
țol
/tsol/
masc.other source · German Zoll
plural: țoli
Shops also write inch.
Catalan
polzada
/pulˈzadə/
fem.inherited
English
inch
/ɪntʃ/
other source · Old English ynce, from Latin UNCIA 'a twelfth'
Ounce comes from the same UNCIA: a twelfth of a foot, a twelfth of a pound.
English → Italianinch (unit of length)polliceNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
POLLICEM‘thumb’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
The Romance inch is a thumb's width. English measures in twelfths instead: inch and ounce are both Latin UNCIA.
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLa pantalla mide quince pulgadas.
- frL'écran fait quinze pouces.
- itLo schermo è di quindici pollici.
- ptA tela tem quinze polegadas.
- roEcranul are cincisprezece țoli.
- caLa pantalla fa quinze polzades.
- enThe screen is fifteen inches.