"king" in seven languages
Meaningking
Spanish
rey
/rej/
masc.inherited
French
roi
/ʁwa/
masc.inherited
Italian
re
/re/
masc.inherited
plural: re
Portuguese
rei
/hej/
masc.inherited
Romanian
rege
/ˈredʒe/
masc.inherited
Catalan
rei
/rɛj/
masc.inherited
English
king
/kɪŋ/
native English · Old English cyning
English → ItaliankingreNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: regal, reign, royal (via French).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
RĒGEM‘king’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
The g between vowels simply melted away: RĒGEM → rey, roi, re. French long ē went through ei to oi, the same path as in moi (MĒ) and mois (MĒNSEM).
English relatives: regal, reign, royal (via French)
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl rey vive en el palacio.
- frLe roi habite au palais.
- itIl re vive nel palazzo.
- ptO rei mora no palácio.
- roRegele locuiește în palat.
- caEl rei viu al palau.
- enThe king lives in the palace.