"intellectual" in seven languages
Meaningintellectual
Spanish
intelectual
/intelekˈtwal/
learned
French
intellectuel
/ɛ̃telɛktɥɛl/
learned
fem.: intellectuelle
Italian
intellettuale
/intellettuˈale/
learned
Portuguese
intelectual
/ĩtelektuˈaw/
learned
Romanian
intelectual
/intelektuˈal/
learned
Catalan
intel·lectual
/intəlləktuˈal/
learned
English
intellectual
/ɪntəˈlɛktʃuəl/
from Latin/French · Latin INTELLĒCTUĀLEM
English → ItalianintellectualintellettualeCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
INTELLĒCTUĀLEM‘of the understanding (INTELLEGERE 'to understand')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
INTELLEGERE is 'to choose between' (INTER + LEGERE). Italian assimilates ct to tt even here; Spanish simplifies the double l.
English relatives: intellect, intelligent, intelligence
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In a sentence
- esEs un trabajo intelectual.
- frC'est un travail intellectuel.
- itÈ un lavoro intellettuale.
- ptÉ um trabalho intelectual.
- roEste o muncă intelectuală.
- caÉs una feina intel·lectual.
- enIt is intellectual work.