"low, short (person)" in seven languages
Meaninglow, short (person)
Spanish
bajo
/ˈbaxo/
inherited
French
bas
/ba/
inherited
fem.: basse
Italian
basso
/ˈbasso/
inherited
Portuguese
baixo
/ˈbajʃu/
inherited
Romanian
jos
/ʒos/
other source · Latin DEORSUM 'downward'
fem.: joasă
Mostly an adverb ('down'); a short person is scund.
Catalan
baix
/baʃ/
inherited
English
low
/loʊ/
native English · Old Norse lágr
English → Italianlow, short (person)bassoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: bass (voice, via Italian), debase, abase.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
BASSUM‘low, squat (Late Latin)’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
BASSUS was a late, informal word for 'squat', not related to Greek basis 'base'. Spanish turned the ss into a palatal sound, today's j.
English relatives: bass (voice, via Italian), debase, abase
Learn it
In a sentence
- esHabla en voz baja.
- frParle à voix basse.
- itParla a voce bassa.
- ptFale em voz baixa.
- roVorbește cu voce joasă.
- caParla en veu baixa.
- enSpeak in a low voice.