"red" in seven languages
Meaningred
Spanish
/ˈroxo/
inherited
From RUSSEUM, a derivative of RUSSUS.
French
/ʁuʒ/
other source · Latin RUBEUM 'reddish'
Italian
/ˈrosso/
inherited
Portuguese
/vehˈmeʎu/
other source · Latin VERMICULUM 'little worm' (the kermes insect, source of a red dye)
Romanian
/ˈroʃu/
inherited
fem.: roșie
From RUSSEUM, like Spanish rojo.
Catalan
/bərˈmeʎ/
other source · Latin VERMICULUM 'little worm' (the kermes insect, source of a red dye)
English
/ɹɛd/
Indo-European kin · PIE *h₁rewdʰ-
Native 'red' and borrowed 'russet', 'ruby' all go back to PIE *h₁rewdʰ-.
The Latin ancestor
RUSSUM / RUSSEUM‘red, reddish’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish and Italian chose RUSSUS; French chose RUBEUS — the word that in Spanish became rubio 'blond'. So rouge and rubio are cognates with different colours.
English relatives: russet (RUSSUS); ruby, rubric, rubella (RUBER, RUBEUS)
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl semáforo está en rojo.
- frLe feu est rouge.
- itIl semaforo è rosso.
- ptO sinal está vermelho.
- roSemaforul e pe roșu.
- caEl semàfor està en vermell.
- enThe traffic light is red.