"light" in seven languages

Meaninglight

Spanish

luz

/luθ/

fem.inherited

plural: luces

French

lumière

/lymjɛʁ/

fem.other source · Late Latin LŪMINĀRIA 'lamps, lights' (from LŪMEN 'light')

Italian

luce

/ˈlutʃe/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

luz

/lus/

fem.inherited

Romanian

lumină

/luˈminə/

fem.other source · Latin LŪMINA, plural of LŪMEN 'light' (inherited)

Catalan

llum

/ʎum/

fem.other source · Latin LŪMEN 'light'

Feminine la llum is light; masculine el llum is the lamp you switch on.

English

light

/laɪt/

Indo-European kin · PIE *lewk-

English → ItalianlightluceDistant cognateRelated only through Indo-European, thousands of years back (night ~ noche). But English has relatives: lucid, translucent, elucidate (LŪX); illuminate, luminous (LŪMEN).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LŪCEM (nom. LŪX)‘light’

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

The story

Spanish and Italian kept LŪX; French replaced it with a word for 'lamps' built on LŪMEN. The plural luces shows the z → c spelling swap.

English relatives: lucid, translucent, elucidate (LŪX); illuminate, luminous (LŪMEN)

Sound laws at work

C before E and I

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In a sentence

esEnciende la luz, por favor.
frAllume la lumière, s'il te plaît.
itAccendi la luce, per favore.
ptAcende a luz, por favor.
roAprinde lumina, te rog.
caEncén el llum, si us plau.
enTurn on the light, please.

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