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"shadow, shade" in seven languages

Meaningshadow, shade

Spanish

sombra

/ˈsombɾa/

fem.other source · Old Spanish sombrar 'to shade', from Latin SUB + UMBRĀRE (built on UMBRA)

French

ombre

/ɔ̃bʁ/

fem.inherited

Italian

ombra

/ˈombra/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

sombra

/ˈsõbɾɐ/

fem.other source · sombrar 'to shade', from Latin SUB + UMBRĀRE (built on UMBRA)

Romanian

umbră

/ˈumbrə/

fem.inherited

Catalan

ombra

/ˈombɾə/

fem.inherited

English

shadow

/ˈʃædoʊ/

native English · Old English sceadu

English → Italianshadow, shadeombraNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: umbrella, umbrage, penumbra, sombrero (es).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

UMBRAM‘shade, shadow’

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

The story

French and Italian keep UMBRA as it was; Spanish sombra grew an s from a 'sub-shading' verb. One word covers both shadow and shade in all three.

English relatives: umbrella, umbrage, penumbra, sombrero (es)

Sound laws at work

French vowel + nasal becomes a nasal vowel

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In a sentence

  • esPor la tarde, las sombras se alargan.
  • frLe soir, les ombres s'allongent.
  • itLa sera le ombre si allungano.
  • ptNo fim da tarde, as sombras ficam mais compridas.
  • roSeara, umbrele se lungesc.
  • caAl vespre, les ombres s'allarguen.
  • enIn the evening, shadows grow longer.

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