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"photography" in seven languages

Meaningphotography

Spanish

fotografía

/fotoɡɾaˈfia/

fem.learned

Also the picture itself; foto for short.

French

photographie

/fɔtɔɡʁafi/

fem.learned

Also the picture itself; photo for short.

Italian

fotografia

/fotoɡraˈfia/

fem.learned

Also the picture itself; foto for short.

Portuguese

fotografia

/fotoɡɾaˈfiɐ/

fem.learned

Romanian

fotografie

/fotoɡraˈfie/

fem.learned

Catalan

fotografia

/futuɡɾəˈfiə/

fem.learned

English

photography

/fəˈtɑɡɹəfi/

from Latin/French · Greek phōs 'light' + gráphein 'to write', a modern coinage

English → ItalianphotographyfotografiaCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The ancestor

Greek phōs, phōtós + gráphein‘light + to write’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

'Writing with light' is a modern coinage from Greek pieces. English separates the art (photography) from the picture (photograph); the sisters use one word for both. Spanish and Italian write f where French and English keep ph.

English relatives: photo, photograph, graphic, telegraph

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In a sentence

  • esEstudia fotografía en Milán.
  • frElle étudie la photographie à Milan.
  • itStudia fotografia a Milano.
  • ptEla estuda fotografia em Milão.
  • roStudiază fotografia la Milano.
  • caEstudia fotografia a Milà.
  • enShe studies photography in Milan.

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