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"mayor" in seven languages

Meaningmayor

Spanish

alcalde

/alˈkalde/

masc.other source · Arabic al-qāḍī 'the judge'

Feminine alcaldesa.

French

maire

/mɛʁ/

masc.inherited

Used for women too: Madame le maire or la maire.

Italian

sindaco

/ˈsindako/

masc.other source · Late Latin SYNDICUS, from Greek sýndikos 'advocate'

Portuguese

prefeito

/pɾeˈfejtu/

masc.other source · Latin PRAEFECTUM 'one put in charge'

In Portugal the mayor is the presidente da câmara.

Romanian

primar

/priˈmar/

masc.other source · Latin PRĪMĀRIUS 'of the first rank' (learned)

Catalan

alcalde

/əlˈkaldə/

masc.other source · Arabic al-qāḍī 'the judge', through Spanish

English

mayor

/ˈmeɪɚ/

from Latin/French · Old French maire

English → ItalianmayorsindacoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: major, majority.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MAIOR (acc. MAIŌREM)‘greater’

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

The story

French maire comes from the Latin nominative MAIOR 'greater'. Trap: Spanish mayor means 'older, bigger'; the mayor is el alcalde, from Arabic 'the judge', and Italian says sindaco.

English relatives: major, majority

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In a sentence

  • esEl alcalde inauguró la nueva biblioteca.
  • frLe maire a inauguré la nouvelle bibliothèque.
  • itIl sindaco ha inaugurato la nuova biblioteca.
  • ptO prefeito inaugurou a nova biblioteca.
  • roPrimarul a inaugurat noua bibliotecă.
  • caL'alcalde va inaugurar la nova biblioteca.
  • enThe mayor opened the new library.

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