"mud" in seven languages
Meaningmud
Spanish
barro
/ˈbaro/
masc.other source · probably pre-Roman (Corominas)
Also clay; lodo, from Latin LUTUM, is a synonym.
French
boue
/bu/
fem.other source · Gaulish *bawā
Italian
fango
/ˈfaŋɡo/
masc.inherited
Portuguese
lama
/ˈlɐmɐ/
fem.other source · Latin LAMA 'bog, puddle'
Barro is clay, or mud in some regions.
Romanian
noroi
/noˈroj/
neut.other source · of uncertain origin
Catalan
fang
/faŋ/
masc.inherited
English
mud
/mʌd/
other source · Middle Low German mudde
English fen is the Germanic cousin of Italian fango.
English → ItalianmudfangoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The ancestor
Gothic fani‘mud’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Mud is the least Latin of words: Italian fango and Catalan fang are Germanic, French boue Gaulish, Spanish barro probably pre-Roman. Only Portuguese lama is Latin, from LAMA 'bog'.
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLos niños volvieron a casa llenos de barro.
- frLes enfants sont rentrés couverts de boue.
- itI bambini sono tornati a casa coperti di fango.
- ptAs crianças voltaram para casa cobertas de lama.
- roCopiii au venit acasă plini de noroi.
- caEls nens han tornat a casa plens de fang.
- enThe children came home covered in mud.