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"skill" in seven languages

Meaningskill

Spanish

habilidad

/abiliˈdad/

fem.learned

French

compétence

/kɔ̃petɑ̃s/

fem.other source · Latin COMPETENTIA (learned)

Habileté is manual skill or cleverness; savoir-faire is know-how.

Italian

abilità

/abiliˈta/

fem.learned

Portuguese

habilidade

/abiliˈdadʒi/

fem.learned

Romanian

abilitate

/abiliˈtate/

fem.learned

Pricepere 'know-how' is the everyday word.

Catalan

habilitat

/əbiliˈtat/

fem.learned

English

skill

/skɪl/

other source · Old Norse skil 'distinction'

English → ItalianskillabilitàNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: ability, able, rehabilitate; competence (fr).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

HABILITĀTEM‘aptitude, handiness’

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

The story

HABILIS was 'easy to handle', then 'apt'. English ability is the same word via French, minus the h that Spanish still writes and never says.

English relatives: ability, able, rehabilitate; competence (fr)

Sound laws at work

-TĀTEM: -dad, -té, -tà

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In a sentence

  • esCocinar es una habilidad útil.
  • frSavoir cuisiner est une compétence utile.
  • itCucinare è un'abilità utile.
  • ptCozinhar é uma habilidade útil.
  • roGătitul este o abilitate utilă.
  • caCuinar és una habilitat útil.
  • enCooking is a useful skill.

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