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"picture, image" in seven languages

Meaningpicture, image

Spanish

imagen

/iˈmaxen/

fem.learned

plural: imágenes

A painting is un cuadro; a photo, una foto.

French

image

/imaʒ/

fem.learned

One of the oldest French Latinisms (11th c. imagene), worn down early but never fully popular.

Italian

immagine

/imˈmadʒine/

fem.learned

Portuguese

imagem

/iˈmaʒẽ/

fem.learned

Romanian

imagine

/imaˈdʒine/

fem.learned

Catalan

imatge

/iˈmadʒə/

fem.learned

English

picture

/ˈpɪktʃɚ/

other source · Latin PICTŪRA 'painting'

English 'image' is the shared word, via Old French.

English → Italianpicture, imageimmagineNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: image, imagine, imagination.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

IMĀGINEM (nom. IMĀGŌ)‘likeness, copy, portrait’

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

The story

IMĀGŌ is probably related to IMITĀRĪ 'to copy': an image is an imitation. English picture is a different word, from PICTŪRA — whose descendants pintura, peinture, pittura all mean 'painting'.

English relatives: image, imagine, imagination

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esMira esta imagen.
  • frRegarde cette image.
  • itGuarda questa immagine.
  • ptOlha esta imagem.
  • roUită-te la imaginea asta.
  • caMira aquesta imatge.
  • enLook at this picture.

More words from the same Latin

More in Ideas

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