"positive" in seven languages
Meaningpositive
Spanish
positivo
/posiˈtibo/
learned
French
positif
/pozitif/
learned
fem.: positive
Italian
positivo
/poziˈtivo/
learned
Portuguese
positivo
/poziˈtʃivu/
learned
Romanian
pozitiv
/poziˈtiv/
learned
Catalan
positiu
/puziˈtiw/
learned
English
positive
/ˈpɑzətɪv/
from Latin/French · Old French positif, from Latin
English → ItalianpositivepositivoCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
POSITĪVUM‘laid down, settled (PŌNERE 'to place')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
POSITĪVUS first meant 'laid down' — positive law was law set by people, not by nature. French turned the ending -ĪVUM into -if, as in actif and naïf.
English relatives: position, posit, deposit
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLa prueba ha dado positivo.
- frLe test est positif.
- itIl test è risultato positivo.
- ptO teste deu positivo.
- roTestul a ieșit pozitiv.
- caLa prova ha donat positiu.
- enThe test came back positive.
More in Describing words
- additionaladicionalsupplémentaireaggiuntivoadicionalsuplimentaraddicional
- significantsignificativosignificatifsignificativosignificativosemnificativsignificatiu
- favoritepreferidopréférépreferitopreferidopreferatpreferit
- global, overallglobalglobalglobaleglobalglobalglobal
- regularregularrégulierregolareregularregulatregular
- physicalfísicophysiquefisicofísicofizicfísic