"pupil (school student)" in seven languages
Meaningpupil (school student)
Spanish
alumno
/aˈlumno/
masc.learned
fem.: alumna
French
élève
/elɛv/
masc.other source · French élever 'to raise, bring up' (Latin LEVĀRE)
Same form for both sexes: un/une élève.
Italian
alunno
/aˈlunno/
masc.learned
fem.: alunna
Portuguese
aluno
/aˈlunu/
masc.learned
Romanian
elev
/eˈlev/
masc.other source · French élève
Catalan
alumne
/əˈlumnə/
masc.learned
English
pupil
/ˈpjupəl/
other source · Old French pupille (Latin PŪPILLUM 'orphan, ward')
English → Italianpupil (school student)alunnoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: alumnus, alimony.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
ALUMNUM‘nursling, foster child (ALERE 'to nourish')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
A pupil is someone being nourished or raised: Latin ALUMNUS from ALERE 'to feed', French élève from élever 'to bring up'. Italian assimilates mn to nn even in this learned word.
English relatives: alumnus, alimony
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLa clase tiene veinte alumnos.
- frLa classe compte vingt élèves.
- itLa classe ha venti alunni.
- ptA turma tem vinte alunos.
- roClasa are douăzeci de elevi.
- caLa classe té vint alumnes.
- enThe class has twenty pupils.