"river" in seven languages
Meaningriver
Spanish
/ˈrio/
masc.inherited
French
/ʁivjɛʁ/
fem.other source · Vulgar Latin RĪPĀRIA 'riverbank' (from RĪPA 'bank')
A river flowing into another river; one that reaches the sea is a fleuve (from FLUVIUM).
Italian
/ˈfjume/
masc.other source · Latin FLŪMEN 'river'
Portuguese
/ˈhiu/
masc.inherited
Romanian
/rɨw/
neut.inherited
Catalan
/riw/
masc.inherited
English
/ˈɹɪvɚ/
other source · Anglo-Norman rivere, from Latin RĪPĀRIAM '(land) by the bank'
The Latin ancestor
RĪVUM‘stream, brook’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Three unrelated words: Spanish kept a 'stream', French named the river after its bank, Italian kept Latin's grand FLŪMEN. English river comes from the French bank-word.
English relatives: rival (people sharing a stream), derive; river (from French, 'bank' source)
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl río atraviesa la ciudad.
- frLa rivière traverse la ville.
- itIl fiume attraversa la città.
- ptO rio atravessa a cidade.
- roRâul traversează orașul.
- caEl riu travessa la ciutat.
- enThe river crosses the city.