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"rate (a proportion)" in seven languages

Meaningrate (a proportion)

Spanish

tasa

/ˈtasa/

fem.inherited

From tasar 'to value'; also an official fee.

French

taux

/to/

masc.inherited

plural: taux

From Old French tauxer, a form of taxer.

Italian

tasso

/ˈtasso/

masc.inherited

Unrelated homonyms: tasso 'badger' and tasso 'yew'.

Portuguese

taxa

/ˈtaʃɐ/

fem.learned

Romanian

rată

/ˈratə/

fem.other source · Italian rata (Latin RATA 'fixed, reckoned')

Catalan

taxa

/ˈtaʃə/

fem.learned

English

rate

/ɹeɪt/

other source · Medieval Latin rata (pars) 'fixed (share)', from RĒRĪ 'to reckon'

English → Italianrate (a proportion)tassoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: tax, taxation, taxi (short for taximeter).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

TAXĀRE‘to assess, appraise’

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

The story

TAXĀRE 'to assess' gave the sisters their word for a rate and gave English tax. Italian turns x into ss, as usual.

English relatives: tax, taxation, taxi (short for taximeter)

Sound laws at work

Italian assimilates clusters

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In a sentence

  • esLa tasa de paro está bajando.
  • frLe taux de chômage baisse.
  • itIl tasso di disoccupazione sta calando.
  • ptA taxa de desemprego está caindo.
  • roRata șomajului scade.
  • caLa taxa d'atur està baixant.
  • enThe unemployment rate is falling.

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