"monster" in seven languages
Meaningmonster
Spanish
monstruo
/ˈmonstɾwo/
masc.learned
French
monstre
/mɔ̃stʁ/
masc.learned
Informally also an adjective: un succès monstre 'a huge hit'.
Italian
mostro
/ˈmostro/
masc.learned
Without the n, like mostrare 'to show'.
Portuguese
monstro
/ˈmõstɾu/
masc.learned
Romanian
monstru
/ˈmonstru/
masc.learned
Catalan
monstre
/ˈmonstɾə/
masc.learned
English
monster
/ˈmɑnstɚ/
from Latin/French · Old French monstre
English → ItalianmonstermostroCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
MŌNSTRUM‘portent, divine warning’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A Roman MŌNSTRUM was an omen, something the gods showed as a warning; the same family gave demonstrate and muster, and French montrer 'to show'.
English relatives: monstrous, demonstrate, muster
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl niño tiene miedo de los monstruos.
- frL'enfant a peur des monstres.
- itIl bambino ha paura dei mostri.
- ptA criança tem medo de monstros.
- roCopilului îi e frică de monștri.
- caEl nen té por dels monstres.
- enThe child is afraid of monsters.