"sour" in seven languages
Meaningsour
Spanish
agrio
/ˈaɡɾjo/
inherited
Ácido is also common for fruit.
French
aigre
/ɛɡʁ/
inherited
Sour gone off (lait aigre); a lemon is acide.
Italian
acido
/ˈatʃido/
other source · Latin ACIDUM 'sour' (learned)
Aspro for unripe fruit; agro survives in agrodolce.
Portuguese
azedo
/aˈzedu/
other source · Latin ACĒTUM 'vinegar'
Romanian
acru
/ˈakru/
inherited
Catalan
agre
/ˈaɡɾə/
inherited
English
sour
/saʊɚ/
native English · Old English sūr
English → ItaliansouracidoNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: vinegar, eager, acrid.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
ACREM (VL *ACRUM)‘sharp, pungent’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
French aigre is the 'sour' of vin aigre, English vinegar, and English eager is the same word (once 'keen, sharp'). The west voiced the c (agrio, aigre, agre); Romanian acru keeps it. Portuguese azedo is 'vinegary' (ACĒTUM).
English relatives: vinegar, eager, acrid
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLa leche se ha puesto agria.
- frLe lait est devenu aigre.
- itIl latte è diventato acido.
- ptO leite ficou azedo.
- roLaptele s-a acrit.
- caLa llet s'ha tornat agra.
- enThe milk has gone sour.