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"smoke" in seven languages

Meaningsmoke

Spanish

humo

/ˈumo/

masc.inherited

French

fumée

/fyme/

fem.inherited

Built on fumer 'to smoke'.

Italian

fumo

/ˈfumo/

masc.inherited

Also 'smoking': il fumo fa male.

Portuguese

fumaça

/fuˈmasɐ/

fem.inherited

European Portuguese prefers fumo, the direct heir of FŪMUM; in Brazil fumo means tobacco.

Romanian

fum

/fum/

neut.inherited

Catalan

fum

/fum/

masc.inherited

English

smoke

/smoʊk/

native English · Old English smoca

English → ItaliansmokefumoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: fume, fumigate, perfume.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

FŪMUM‘smoke’

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

The story

Spanish turned F into a silent h (humo, like hijo), French fronted Ū to y (fumée); Italian kept FŪMUS almost untouched.

English relatives: fume, fumigate, perfume

Sound laws at work

Spanish initial F- becomes h- (silent)French fronts long U to [y]

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In a sentence

  • esLa cocina está llena de humo.
  • frLa cuisine est pleine de fumée.
  • itLa cucina è piena di fumo.
  • ptA cozinha está cheia de fumaça.
  • roBucătăria e plină de fum.
  • caLa cuina és plena de fum.
  • enThe kitchen is full of smoke.

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