"light (not heavy)" in seven languages
Meaninglight (not heavy)
Spanish
ligero
/liˈxeɾo/
borrowed · Old French legier (or Occitan)
French
léger
/leʒe/
inherited
fem.: légère
Italian
leggero
/ledˈdʒɛro/
borrowed · Old French legier (or Provençal)
Portuguese
leve
/ˈlɛvi/
other source · Latin LEVEM 'light'
Romanian
ușor
/uˈʃor/
other source · of uncertain origin
Catalan
lleuger
/ʎəwˈʒe/
inherited
English
light
/laɪt/
Indo-European kin · PIE *h₁legʷʰ- 'light (in weight)'
English → Italianlight (not heavy)leggeroDistant cognateRelated only through Indo-European, thousands of years back (night ~ noche). But English has relatives: levity, lever, elevate, relieve (LEVIS, LEVĀRE).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
*LEVIĀRIUM‘light (spoken Latin, from LEVIS)’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Born in Gaul from LEVIS 'light', then exported: Spanish and Italian borrowed the French word in the Middle Ages. Spanish also keeps learned leve 'slight'.
English relatives: levity, lever, elevate, relieve (LEVIS, LEVĀRE)
Learn it
In a sentence
- esQuiero comer algo ligero.
- frJ'aimerais manger quelque chose de léger.
- itVorrei mangiare qualcosa di leggero.
- ptQuero comer algo leve.
- roAș vrea să mănânc ceva ușor.
- caVoldria menjar alguna cosa lleugera.
- enI'd like something light to eat.