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"size (of clothes)" in seven languages

Meaningsize (of clothes)

Spanish

talla

/ˈtaʝa/

fem.borrowed · probably French taille or Catalan talla (the native Spanish outcome of TALIĀRE is tajar)

For things other than clothes, size is tamaño; shoe size is número.

French

taille

/taj/

fem.inherited

Also 'height' and 'waist'; shoe size is la pointure.

Italian

taglia

/ˈtaʎʎa/

fem.inherited

Shoe size is il numero; size in general is la grandezza or le dimensioni.

Portuguese

tamanho

/tɐˈmɐ̃ɲu/

masc.other source · Latin TAM MAGNUM 'so big'

For shoes Brazilians ask about the número.

Romanian

mărime

/məˈrime/

fem.other source · Romanian mare 'big' + suffix -ime

Catalan

talla

/ˈtaʎə/

fem.inherited

English

size

/saɪz/

other source · Old French sise, short for assise 'assessment'

English → Italiansize (of clothes)tagliaNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: tailor, detail, retail, tally.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

TALIĀRE (Late Latin, from TALEA 'cutting, twig')‘to cut’

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

The story

A size is literally a 'cut': the noun comes from the verb to cut (tailler, tagliare), the tailor's trade. The LI cluster became French ill [j] and Italian gli [ʎʎ].

English relatives: tailor, detail, retail, tally

Sound laws at work

L + yod

Learn it

Practice the Clothing deckQuiz a friend on it

In a sentence

  • es¿Qué talla tienes?
  • frVous faites quelle taille ?
  • itChe taglia porti?
  • ptQual é o seu tamanho?
  • roCe mărime porți?
  • caQuina talla fas?
  • enWhat size do you wear?

More in Clothing

All Clothing words