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"sea" in seven languages

Meaningsea

Spanish

mar

/maɾ/

masc.inherited

Sailors, fishermen and poets say la mar; everyday Spanish says el mar.

French

mer

/mɛʁ/

fem.inherited

Italian

mare

/ˈmare/

masc.inherited

Portuguese

mar

/mah/

masc.inherited

Romanian

mare

/ˈmare/

fem.inherited

Catalan

mar

/mar/

masc.inherited

Sailors and poets make it feminine: la mar.

English

sea

/si/

native English · Old English sǣ

English → ItalianseamareNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: marine, maritime, mariner.What English and Italian share

Watch out: false friends

  • mare (Catalan) means “mother” · mare (Italian) means “sea”

    Coincidence. Catalan mare is MĀTREM worn down (as pare is PATREM); Italian mare is Latin MARE 'sea'. Romanian mare is 'sea' too — and also 'big'.

All false friends

The Latin ancestor

MARE‘sea’

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

The story

Latin MARE was neuter, and the sisters disagreed on where to put it: masculine in Italian and (mostly) Spanish, feminine in French — la mer.

English relatives: marine, maritime, mariner

Sound laws at work

French stressed free A becomes eFinal vowels

Learn it

Practice the Nature & weather deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • esEste verano vamos al mar.
  • frCet été, on va à la mer.
  • itQuest'estate andiamo al mare.
  • ptNeste verão vamos para o mar.
  • roVara asta mergem la mare.
  • caAquest estiu anem al mar.
  • enWe are going to the sea this summer.

More in Nature & weather

All Nature & weather words