"metal" in seven languages
Meaningmetal
Spanish
metal
/meˈtal/
masc.learned
French
métal
/metal/
masc.learned
plural: métaux
Italian
metallo
/meˈtallo/
masc.learned
Portuguese
metal
/meˈtaw/
masc.learned
plural: metais
Romanian
metal
/meˈtal/
neut.learned
Catalan
metall
/məˈtaʎ/
masc.learned
English
metal
/ˈmɛtəl/
from Latin/French · Old French metal, from Latin
English → ItalianmetalmetalloCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
METALLUM‘mine; metal (from Greek métallon)’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin METALLUM meant 'a mine' before it meant what came out of it. Italian keeps the Latin double l (metallo); French makes the plural métaux, like cheval, chevaux.
English relatives: metallic, metallurgy, medal
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl oro es un metal precioso.
- frL'or est un métal précieux.
- itL'oro è un metallo prezioso.
- ptO ouro é um metal precioso.
- roAurul este un metal prețios.
- caL'or és un metall preciós.
- enGold is a precious metal.