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"smile" in seven languages

Meaningsmile

Spanish

sonrisa

/sonˈrisa/

fem.inherited

French

sourire

/suʁiʁ/

masc.inherited

The infinitive sourire 'to smile' used as a noun.

Italian

sorriso

/sorˈriso/

masc.inherited

Portuguese

sorriso

/soˈhizu/

masc.inherited

Romanian

zâmbet

/ˈzɨmbet/

neut.other source · from zâmbi 'to smile', of uncertain origin

Surâs, from SUBRĪDĒRE, survives as the literary word.

Catalan

somriure

/sumˈriwɾə/

masc.inherited

The infinitive 'to smile' used as a noun, as in French.

English

smile

/smaɪl/

other source · Middle English smilen, probably Scandinavian

English → ItaliansmilesorrisoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: risible, ridiculous (RĪDĒRE).What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SUBRĪDĒRE‘to smile ('to laugh under one's breath')’

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

The story

A smile is a 'laugh from below': SUB + RĪDĒRE. Spanish swapped the prefix to son-; Italian assimilated it (sorr-). Note the genders: una sonrisa but un sourire, un sorriso.

English relatives: risible, ridiculous (RĪDĒRE)

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In a sentence

  • esTiene una sonrisa preciosa.
  • frElle a un joli sourire.
  • itHa un bel sorriso.
  • ptEla tem um sorriso lindo.
  • roAre un zâmbet frumos.
  • caTé un somriure preciós.
  • enShe has a lovely smile.

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