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"magazine" in seven languages

Meaningmagazine

Spanish

revista

/reˈbista/

fem.other source · revistar 'to review', built on vista 'sight' (Latin VIDĒRE)

French

magazine

/magazin/

masc.other source · English magazine

Revue is the word for a more academic periodical.

Italian

rivista

/riˈvista/

fem.other source · rivedere 'to look over again' (Latin VIDĒRE)

Portuguese

revista

/heˈvistɐ/

fem.other source · revistar 'to review', built on vista 'sight' (Latin VIDĒRE)

Romanian

revistă

/reˈvistə/

fem.other source · Romance revista / French revue 'review' (Latin VIDĒRE)

Catalan

revista

/rəˈbistə/

fem.other source · revistar 'to review', built on vista 'sight' (Latin VIDĒRE)

English

magazine

/ˈmægəzin/

other source · French magasin 'storehouse', from Italian magazzino, from Arabic makhāzin

Originally a storehouse (still in 'ammunition magazine'), then a 'storehouse' of articles.

English → ItalianmagazinerivistaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

  • magazin (Romanian) means “shop, store” · magazine (English) means “periodical; ammunition store”

    Both go back to Arabic makhāzin 'storehouses', through Italian magazzino and French magasin. Romanian took the French 'shop'; English kept 'storehouse' (still in a gun's magazine) and made a 'storehouse of information' of it, the periodical.

All false friends

The story

A round-trip trap: French borrowed magazine back from English, but its own magasin means 'shop', and Italian magazzino means 'warehouse'. Spanish and Italian call a magazine a 'review'.

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In a sentence

  • esLo leí en una revista.
  • frJe l'ai lu dans un magazine.
  • itL'ho letto su una rivista.
  • ptLi isso numa revista.
  • roAm citit asta într-o revistă.
  • caHo vaig llegir en una revista.
  • enI read it in a magazine.

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