Skip to content

"radical" in seven languages

Meaningradical

Spanish

radical

/ɾadiˈkal/

learned

French

radical

/ʁadikal/

learned

fem.: radicale

Italian

radicale

/radiˈkale/

learned

Portuguese

radical

/hadʒiˈkaw/

learned

Romanian

radical

/radiˈkal/

learned

Catalan

radical

/rədiˈkal/

learned

English

radical

/ˈɹædɪkəl/

from Latin/French · Late Latin RĀDĪCĀLEM

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

The Latin ancestor

RĀDĪCĀLEM‘having roots (RĀDĪX 'root')’

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

The story

A radical change goes to the roots: the learned word sits beside the inherited ones for 'root', Spanish raíz and Italian radice. French racine comes from a reshaped *RĀDĪCĪNA.

English relatives: radish, eradicate, root (kindred)

Learn it

Practice the Describing words deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esQuieren un cambio radical.
  • frIls veulent un changement radical.
  • itVogliono un cambiamento radicale.
  • ptEles querem uma mudança radical.
  • roVor o schimbare radicală.
  • caVolen un canvi radical.
  • enThey want a radical change.

More in Describing words

All Describing words words