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"random" in seven languages

Meaningrandom

Spanish

aleatorio

/aleaˈtoɾjo/

learned

In speech, al azar 'at random', from Arabic.

French

aléatoire

/aleatwaʁ/

learned

In speech, au hasard 'at random', a word that came through Spanish from Arabic.

Italian

casuale

/kazuˈale/

other source · Latin CĀSUĀLEM 'accidental' (learned)

In speech, a caso 'at random'.

Portuguese

aleatório

/aleaˈtɔɾju/

learned

Romanian

aleatoriu

/aleaˈtorju/

learned

In everyday speech, la întâmplare 'by chance'.

Catalan

aleatori

/ələəˈtɔɾi/

learned

English

random

/ˈɹændəm/

other source · Old French randon 'rush, impetuosity'

English → ItalianrandomcasualeNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: aleatory; casual (from CĀSUS).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

ALEĀTŌRIUM‘of a gambler (from ALEA 'die')’

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

The story

Spanish and French reach for the Roman gambler's die (ALEA, as in Caesar's alea iacta est); Italian casuale is a false friend of English casual.

English relatives: aleatory; casual (from CĀSUS)

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esEl ordenador elige un número aleatorio.
  • frL'ordinateur choisit un nombre aléatoire.
  • itIl computer sceglie un numero casuale.
  • ptO computador escolhe um número aleatório.
  • roCalculatorul alege un număr aleatoriu.
  • caL'ordinador tria un nombre aleatori.
  • enThe computer picks a random number.

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