Skip to content

"safety, security" in seven languages

Meaningsafety, security

Spanish

seguridad

/seguɾiˈdad/

fem.inherited

Built on inherited seguro 'safe, sure'.

French

sécurité

/sekyʁite/

fem.learned

Its inherited doublet is sûreté.

Italian

sicurezza

/sikuˈrettsa/

fem.inherited

Built on sicuro with the suffix -ezza.

Portuguese

segurança

/seɡuˈɾɐ̃sɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

siguranță

/siɡuˈrantsə/

fem.borrowed · built on sigur 'sure', from Latin SĒCŪRUS, probably through Modern Greek sígouros or Italian sicuro (the g is not a native outcome)

Catalan

seguretat

/səɡuɾəˈtat/

fem.inherited

English

safety

/ˈseɪfti/

other source · Old French sauvete, from Latin SALVUS 'safe'

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

The Latin ancestor

SĒCŪRUM‘free from care (SĒ- 'without' + CŪRA 'care')’

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

The story

To be safe is to be 'without care'. Spanish seguridad shows the popular c → g of seguro; French sécurité is learned beside inherited sûreté. One word covers both English safety and security.

English relatives: security, secure, sure

Sound laws at work

Voiceless stops between vowels soften-TĀTEM: -dad, -té, -tà

Learn it

Practice the Ideas deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esLa seguridad es lo primero.
  • frLa sécurité avant tout.
  • itLa sicurezza prima di tutto.
  • ptA segurança vem em primeiro lugar.
  • roSiguranța e pe primul loc.
  • caLa seguretat és el primer.
  • enSafety comes first.

More words from the same Latin

More in Ideas

All Ideas words