"or" in seven languages
Meaningor
Spanish
o
/o/
inherited
Becomes u before an o- sound: siete u ocho.
French
ou
/u/
inherited
No accent; où with a grave accent means 'where'.
Italian
o
/o/
inherited
Portuguese
ou
/ow/
inherited
Romanian
sau
/saw/
other source · probably Latin SEU 'or'
Catalan
o
/u/
inherited
English
or
/ɔɹ/
native English · Old English oþþe / āhwæþer
English → ItalianoroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
AUT‘or’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Latin AU collapsed into o in all three (French spells the sound ou).
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- es¿Té o café?
- frThé ou café ?
- itTè o caffè?
- ptChá ou café?
- roCeai sau cafea?
- caTe o cafè?
- enTea or coffee?