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"shell (of a snail or shellfish)" in seven languages

Meaningshell (of a snail or shellfish)

Spanish

concha

/ˈkontʃa/

fem.other source · Latin CONCHA 'shellfish, shell', from Greek konkhē

French

coquille

/kɔkij/

fem.inherited

Reshaped under the influence of coque 'hull, eggshell'; a seashell on the beach is a coquillage.

Italian

conchiglia

/koŋˈkiʎʎa/

fem.inherited

Portuguese

concha

/ˈkõʃɐ/

fem.other source · Latin CONCHA 'shellfish, shell', from Greek konkhē

Romanian

scoică

/ˈskojkə/

fem.other source · of uncertain origin

Catalan

petxina

/pətˈʃinə/

fem.other source · of uncertain origin

English

shell

/ʃɛl/

native English · Old English sciell

English → Italianshell (of a snail or shellfish)conchigliaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: conch, conchology.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

CONCHYLIA (pl. of CONCHYLIUM)‘shellfish (Greek konkhýlion)’

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

The story

Greek konkhē 'mussel' gave Latin CONCHA (Spanish concha) and its diminutive CONCHYLIUM, whose LI became French -ill- and Italian -gli-. Beware: concha is vulgar slang in Argentina.

English relatives: conch, conchology

Sound laws at work

L + yod

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In a sentence

  • esLos niños recogieron conchas en la playa.
  • frLes enfants ont ramassé des coquillages sur la plage.
  • itI bambini hanno raccolto conchiglie sulla spiaggia.
  • ptAs crianças catavam conchas na praia.
  • roCopiii au strâns scoici pe plajă.
  • caEls nens van recollir petxines a la platja.
  • enThe children collected shells on the beach.

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