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"infection" in seven languages

Meaninginfection

Spanish

infección

/infekˈθjon/

fem.learned

French

infection

/ɛ̃fɛksjɔ̃/

fem.learned

Italian

infezione

/infetˈtsjone/

fem.learned

Portuguese

infecção

/ĩfekˈsɐ̃w/

fem.learned

Romanian

infecție

/inˈfektsie/

fem.learned

Catalan

infecció

/imfəkˈsjo/

fem.learned

English

infection

/ɪnˈfɛkʃən/

from Latin/French · Latin INFECTIŌNEM, via Old French

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

The Latin ancestor

INFECTIŌNEM‘a staining, tainting (INFICERE 'to dip, dye')’

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

The story

INFICERE meant 'to dip in dye', then 'to taint'. Spanish writes cc, French ct, Italian folds the c away into -zione.

English relatives: infect, infectious, disinfect

Sound laws at work

-TIŌNEM: learned -ción, inherited -zón

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In a sentence

  • esLos antibióticos curaron la infección.
  • frLes antibiotiques ont guéri l'infection.
  • itGli antibiotici hanno curato l'infezione.
  • ptOs antibióticos curaram a infecção.
  • roAntibioticele au vindecat infecția.
  • caEls antibiòtics van curar la infecció.
  • enThe antibiotics cured the infection.

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