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"sheet (of paper)" in seven languages

Meaningsheet (of paper)

Spanish

hoja

/ˈoxa/

fem.inherited

The same word as a tree's leaf.

French

feuille

/fœj/

fem.inherited

The same word as a tree's leaf.

Italian

foglio

/ˈfɔʎʎo/

masc.inherited

Masculine foglio is paper; feminine foglia is a leaf.

Portuguese

folha

/ˈfoʎɐ/

fem.inherited

Romanian

foaie

/ˈfo̯aje/

fem.inherited

Catalan

full

/fuʎ/

masc.inherited

A sheet of paper is el full; the leaf of a tree is la fulla, from the plural FOLIA.

English

sheet

/ʃit/

native English · Old English scēte

English → Italiansheet (of paper)foglioNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: folio, foliage, portfolio.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FOLIUM (pl. FOLIA)‘leaf’

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

The story

Spanish hoja and French feuille come from the plural FOLIA, taken as a feminine, and serve for both tree and paper. Italian split the two by gender: foglia on the tree, foglio on the desk.

English relatives: folio, foliage, portfolio

Sound laws at work

L + yodSpanish initial F- becomes h- (silent)

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • es¿Me das una hoja de papel?
  • frTu peux me donner une feuille de papier ?
  • itMi dai un foglio di carta?
  • ptVocê me dá uma folha de papel?
  • roÎmi dai o foaie de hârtie?
  • caEm dones un full de paper?
  • enCan you give me a sheet of paper?

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