"murder" in seven languages

Meaningmurder

Spanish

asesinato

/aseˈsinato/

masc.other source · asesino 'assassin', ultimately Arabic ḥaššāšī

French

meurtre

/mœʁtʁ/

masc.other source · Old French murtrir 'to kill', from Frankish

Italian

omicidio

/omiˈtʃidjo/

masc.other source · Latin HOMICĪDIUM 'killing of a person'

Portuguese

assassinato

/asasiˈnatu/

masc.other source · assassino ← Italian assassino, ultimately Arabic ḥaššāšī

Romanian

crimă

/ˈkrimə/

fem.other source · French crime ← Latin CRĪMEN 'charge'

Omor, of Slavic origin, is a starker synonym.

Catalan

assassinat

/əsəsiˈnat/

masc.other source · assassí ← Italian assassino, ultimately Arabic ḥaššāšī

English

murder

/ˈmɝdɚ/

native English · Old English morþor

English → ItalianmurderomicidioNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share

The story

French meurtre came from Frankish and is a Germanic cousin of English murder; its verb meurtrir has softened to 'to bruise'. Spanish says 'assassination' (asesinato), Italian 'homicide' (omicidio).

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In a sentence

esLo detuvieron por asesinato.
frIl a été arrêté pour meurtre.
itÈ stato arrestato per omicidio.
ptEle foi preso por assassinato.
roA fost arestat pentru crimă.
caEl van detenir per assassinat.
enHe was arrested for murder.

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