"painful" in seven languages
Meaningpainful
Spanish
doloroso
/doloˈɾoso/
inherited
French
douloureux
/duluʁø/
inherited
fem.: douloureuse
Italian
doloroso
/doloˈroso/
inherited
Portuguese
doloroso
/doloˈɾozu/
learned
The kept -l- gives it away: the inherited noun lost it (DOLŌREM → dor).
Romanian
dureros
/dureˈros/
other source · durere 'pain', from Latin DOLĒRE 'to hurt'
Romanian turns intervocalic -l- into -r-: DOLĒRE → durea, like SOLEM → soare.
Catalan
dolorós
/duluˈɾos/
inherited
English
painful
/ˈpeɪnfəl/
other source · pain (Old French peine, Latin POENA) + -ful
English → ItalianpainfuldolorosoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: dolorous, condolence, Via Dolorosa.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
DOLŌRŌSUM (Late Latin)‘full of pain (DOLOR 'pain')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Built on DOLOR 'pain', still dolor, douleur, dolore. French turned unstressed o into ou twice: douloureux.
English relatives: dolorous, condolence, Via Dolorosa
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLa inyección no es dolorosa.
- frLa piqûre n'est pas douloureuse.
- itL'iniezione non è dolorosa.
- ptA injeção não é dolorosa.
- roInjecția nu este dureroasă.
- caLa injecció no és dolorosa.
- enThe injection is not painful.