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"luxury" in seven languages

Meaningluxury

Spanish

lujo

/ˈluxo/

masc.learned

Spelt luxo in the 16th century; the x sound later became the modern j.

French

luxe

/lyks/

masc.learned

Italian

lusso

/ˈlusso/

masc.learned

Portuguese

luxo

/ˈluʃu/

masc.learned

Romanian

lux

/luks/

neut.learned

Catalan

luxe

/ˈluksə/

masc.learned

English

luxury

/ˈlʌkʃəɹi/

from Latin/French · Old French luxurie 'lust', from Latin LUXURIA

Built on LUXURIA rather than LUXUS, and it first meant lust.

English → ItalianluxurylussoCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LUXUM‘excess, extravagance’

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

The story

Learned everywhere, but each sister shaped the x its own way: Spanish j, French ks, Italian ss. Trap: Spanish lujuria and French luxure still mean lust, like English luxury once did.

English relatives: deluxe, luxurious

Sound laws at work

Italian assimilates clusters

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In a sentence

  • esViven en el lujo.
  • frIls vivent dans le luxe.
  • itVivono nel lusso.
  • ptEles vivem no luxo.
  • roTrăiesc în lux.
  • caViuen en el luxe.
  • enThey live in luxury.

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