"safe" in seven languages

Meaningsafe

Spanish

seguro

/seˈɡuɾo/

inherited

Also 'sure' and, as a noun, 'insurance'.

French

sûr

/syʁ/

inherited

fem.: sûre

Old French seür; for a person out of danger, say en sécurité.

Italian

sicuro

/siˈkuro/

inherited

Also 'sure, certain'.

Portuguese

seguro

/seˈɡuɾu/

inherited

Romanian

sigur

/ˈsiɡur/

inherited

Catalan

segur

/səˈɡu/

inherited

English

safe

/seɪf/

other source · Old French sauf, from Latin SALVUM

English sure and secure come from SĒCŪRUM.

English → ItaliansafesicuroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: sure, secure, security.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SĒCŪRUM‘free from care (SĒ- 'apart' + CŪRA 'care')’

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

The story

One word for 'safe' and 'sure' in all three. Spanish voiced the c to g; French dropped it entirely (seür → sûr) and fronted the u.

English relatives: sure, secure, security

Sound laws at work

Voiceless stops between vowels soften French fronts long U to [y]

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In a sentence

es¿Es seguro este barrio?
frCe quartier est-il sûr ?
itQuesto quartiere è sicuro?
ptEsse bairro é seguro?
roCartierul ăsta e sigur?
caAquest barri és segur?
enIs this neighborhood safe?

More words from the same Latin

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