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"reader" in seven languages

Meaningreader

Spanish

lector

/lekˈtoɾ/

masc.learned

fem.: lectora

French

lecteur

/lɛktœʁ/

masc.learned

fem.: lectrice

Also a player or drive: un lecteur DVD.

Italian

lettore

/letˈtore/

masc.learned

fem.: lettrice

Also a university language assistant.

Portuguese

leitor

/lejˈtoh/

masc.learned

The -it- for Latin -ct- matches inherited leitura 'reading', but the word itself is a semi-learned borrowing.

Romanian

cititor

/tʃitiˈtor/

masc.other source · citi 'to read', from Old Church Slavonic čĭsti

Catalan

lector

/ləkˈto/

masc.learned

English

reader

/ˈɹidɚ/

native English · Old English rǣdere

English → ItalianreaderlettoreNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: lecture, lectern, legible.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LECTŌREM‘reader (LEGERE 'to gather, read')’

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

The story

Latin LEGERE 'to gather, read' is behind the sisters' words; English read is native. Italian turns ct into tt even in book words: lettore, lettura.

English relatives: lecture, lectern, legible

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In a sentence

  • esEs una gran lectora de novelas.
  • frC'est une grande lectrice de romans.
  • itÈ una grande lettrice di romanzi.
  • ptEla é uma grande leitora de romances.
  • roEste o mare cititoare de romane.
  • caÉs una gran lectora de novel·les.
  • enShe's a great reader of novels.

The Latin family

LEG-, LĒCT-· gather, read

LEGERE first meant 'to gather, pick', then 'to pick out letters', to read. Both senses survive: leer, lire, leggere for reading, and COLLIGERE 'gather together' in coger, cueillir, cogliere. The lesson family shows a neat doublet: French leçon is inherited, Spanish lección and Italian lezione are learned. Portuguese ler and Catalan llegir read too; Romanian reads with the Slavic citi, but kept the 'gathering' compounds: culege 'to pick' and alege 'to choose'.

  • LEGEREto gather; to read

    esleerfrlireitleggereptlercallegir

  • LĒCTIŌNEMa reading

    eslecciónfrleçonitlezioneptliçãorolecțiecalliçóenlesson

  • LĒCTŪRAM (Medieval Latin)a reading

    eslecturafrlectureitletturaptleiturarolecturăcalecturaenlecture

  • LĒCTŌREMreader

    eslectorfrlecteuritlettoreptleitorrolectorcalectorenlector

  • COLLIGEREto gather together

    escogerfrcueilliritcogliereptcolherroculegecacollirencull

  • ĒLIGEREto pick out

    eselegirfrélireiteleggereptelegerroalegecaelegirenelect

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