"motorway, highway" in seven languages
Meaningmotorway, highway
Spanish
autopista
/autoˈpista/
fem.other source · auto- + pista 'track' (from Italian pista)
French
autoroute
/otoʁut/
fem.other source · auto- + route 'road' (Latin RUPTAM)
Italian
autostrada
/autoˈstrada/
fem.other source · auto- + strada 'road' (Latin STRĀTAM)
Portuguese
rodovia
/hodoˈviɐ/
fem.other source · roda 'wheel' + via 'way' (Latin ROTAM + VIAM)
In Portugal a motorway is an autoestrada.
Romanian
autostradă
/awtoˈstradə/
fem.other source · Italian autostrada
Catalan
autopista
/əwtuˈpistə/
fem.other source · auto- + pista 'track' (from Italian pista)
English
motorway
/ˈmoʊtɚweɪ/
other source · motor (Latin MŌTOR 'mover') + native way
English → Italianmotorway, highwayautostradaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The story
Italy built the first motorway in the 1920s and coined autostrada. Each sister then glued auto- onto its own word for road or track.
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In a sentence
- esCoge la autopista, es más rápido.
- frPrends l'autoroute, c'est plus rapide.
- itPrendi l'autostrada, è più veloce.
- ptPega a rodovia, é mais rápido.
- roIa-o pe autostradă, e mai repede.
- caAgafa l'autopista, que és més ràpid.
- enTake the motorway, it's faster.