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"sick, ill" in seven languages

Meaningsick, ill

Spanish

enfermo

/enˈfeɾmo/

other source · Latin INFIRMUM 'not firm, weak'

French

malade

/malad/

inherited

Italian

malato

/maˈlato/

inherited

Portuguese

doente

/doˈẽtʃi/

other source · Latin DOLENTEM 'suffering' (inherited)

Romanian

bolnav

/bolˈnav/

other source · Slavic bolĭnŭ 'sick'

Catalan

malalt

/məˈlal/

inherited

Like French malade, from MALE HABITUM 'in poor condition'; the final -t is silent.

English

sick

/sɪk/

native English · Old English sēoc

English → Italiansick, illmalatoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: malady; infirm (es).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MALE HABITUM‘in poor condition’

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

The story

Spanish says 'infirm' (enfermo, with Latin i lowered to e); French and Italian say 'badly kept' (MALE HABITUS → malade, malato). Spanish uses estar for it: estoy enfermo.

English relatives: malady; infirm (es)

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In a sentence

  • esEstoy enfermo, me quedo en casa.
  • frJe suis malade, je reste à la maison.
  • itSono malato, resto a casa.
  • ptEstou doente, vou ficar em casa.
  • roSunt bolnav, rămân acasă.
  • caEstic malalt, em quedo a casa.
  • enI'm sick, I'm staying home.

More words from the same Latin

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