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"mobile phone" in seven languages

Meaningmobile phone

Spanish

móvil

/ˈmobil/

masc.learned

In Latin America, celular.

French

portable

/pɔʁtabl/

masc.other source · French porter 'to carry', from Latin PORTĀRE

Italian

cellulare

/tʃelluˈlare/

masc.other source · telefono cellulare 'cellular phone', from Latin CELLULA

Colloquially il telefonino.

Portuguese

celular

/seluˈlah/

masc.other source · 'cellular (phone)', from Latin CELLULA 'little room'

European Portuguese says telemóvel.

Romanian

mobil

/moˈbil/

neut.learned

Catalan

mòbil

/ˈmɔbil/

masc.learned

English

cell phone

/ˈsɛl foʊn/

other source · English cell (Latin CELLA) + phone (Greek phōnḗ)

British English says mobile, the cousin of Spanish móvil.

English → Italianmobile phonecellulareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: mobile, mobility, automobile.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MŌBILEM‘movable (MOVĒRE)’

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

The story

Each language picked a different feature: Spanish and British English that it moves (móvil, mobile), French that you carry it (portable), Italian and American English its network of cells (cellulare, cell phone).

English relatives: mobile, mobility, automobile

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In a sentence

  • esMe he quedado sin batería en el móvil.
  • frMon portable n'a plus de batterie.
  • itIl mio cellulare è scarico.
  • ptA bateria do meu celular acabou.
  • roMi s-a descărcat bateria la mobil.
  • caM'he quedat sense bateria al mòbil.
  • enMy phone battery is dead.

More words from the same Latin

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